Epiphone WildKat

I just wanted to share this with those who have Epiphone WildKats or are interested:

I liked the appearance of the WildKat and didn't want to spend a lot to try out my first hollow body electric, but the instrument I acquired was unremarkable. It had a nice tiger striped gray finish, but not a neck that I particularly liked, and I never could get the action quite as good as on my other instruments. Recently I had resigned myself to the idea of selling it and trying some other hollow body, but on a whim, I retro-fitted some Seymour Duncan 'Hot P90' pickups to the WildKat. While original pickups were muddy, no highs, and relatively weak, with the new pickup the tone is very organic. I feel that they brought the instrument to life. The Duncan Hot P90s and the WildKat turned out to be a complimentary choice to my ears

How to retro-fit pickups to these goofy non-standard shells? You can de-solder the old pickups from the shells with a soldering gun, enlarge pole piece holes with a drill (carefully & then debur), and finally glue the new ones in with silicone, for example. Alternately, you could mount the pickups by cutting and bending brass sheet metal into a suitable shape, then solder the new pickups in place.

So that's it. Now I may actually hang on to this guitar. :-)

Made in China (like most product now), 22 frets, semi-hollowbodied about the size of a Les Paul, master vol + 2 vol + tone, 2x Alnico V P-90s, Flame Maple body, Rosewood neck, thick cherry finish on thin neck, strings are quite close together compared to Stratocasters, tune-o-matic with Bigsby tremelo, Grover machine heads, no case (got a 335 case and put some padding in as it is significantly smaller than a 335). This guitar is chockerblock with features, especially given the price.

Used with Marshall JMP-1 & Marshall 9200 Dual Mono-Bloc 100w + 100w and 2 x Marshall 1936 (2 x 12") boxes. Only effect is Boss DD-3 Digital Delay short slapback. Noisier than PAF's but quieter than single coils. "Thicker" sound than PAFs, even on the bridge. Perfect for rockabilly/rock'n'roll with some crunch and tone. Not suitable for hard rock mainly as the P-90s are better for more traditional sounds. Can be used acoustically but doesn't have a great deal of natural resonance. Got good natural feedback when I cranked it. Pickups are somewhat "microphonic" which is again perfect for rockabilly/rock'n'roll. Could also be used for jazz, blues etc. - any traditional styles - just not hard rock as the pickups sound a little thicker than the average humbucker and the hollowbody does enhance the microphonics. Also, pickups have a little less top-end than average humbuckers so I kick in the slew rate switch on the Marshalls.

Action was reasonably high (but I have been using stratocasters for over 20 years) straight out of box but easy to fix with Tune-O-Matic. Pickups are fixed position (non-adjustable) but in a suitable position (give the P-90s plenty of distance from the string at the bridge). Scratch under master volume pot (pot covers are made of weak plastic and I broke one trying to take it off). Master volume pot was loose in body when taken out of box - fixed it easily but that's when I noticed the scratch. Stickers say that the P-90s are double waxed but I get the feeling they could squeal if cranked really hard. Pickup selector is noisy similar to most 3-way selections on Epiphones. Buzzes a little at the bridge (but I've only been playing a few days and these sorts of things tend to go away). Finish is stunning - Cherry backed and left hand slides easily up/down the neck. Bigsby clicks a little when used (due to size of nut at base of arm tapping the spring) but stays in tune well - I think this guitar has 10-46 strings but there's no indication of that. Jack is at base of guitar so it's best to get a 90 degree angle jack on your cable.

This guitar is well designed for stage - I'll be using this as my main guitar. It's hard to tell whether the hardware's going to last, however there's not too much that could go wrong really. Pickups have a metallic cover. Machine heads seem to be good quality. Bigsby looks solid - time will tell - it's great having a free-floating tremelo which doesn't cause other strings to go out of tune when bending. Finish is so thick it will never wear away! Replace the strap buttons with lockables. I will never gig without a backup ... but I get the sense you could.

Warranty through local distributor. Haven't tried to use customer support.

Playing for 25 years. Have old Peavey gear (Stereo Chorus 2112), Marshall 2210 JCM 800, lots of Boss FX pedals, Roland GP-16, 2 x 31 band EQ - ditched the lot for the Marshall (JMP-1 pre-amp plus Marshall 9200 100w + 100w with two 2 x 12' Marshall 1936 boxes) and the delay pedal. The JMP-1 is versatile re use of different guitars (Japanese Fender with Dimarzios and Hot Rails, Custom Cargill (Melbourne, Australia) with Dimarzios (2 x single & humbucker with splitter) and (believe it or not) and old Torch with Grovers/Fender pickups.

I'd like to have tried the P-90s - I'm use to them but they are warmer than PAFs but I like the sound. In fact, the guitar "sings" with these pickups/microphonics/high-action rather than "saws" with your average low-action humbuckers.

I would definitely replace this guitar if stolen. I would consider getting a lower end Gretsch but I think you'd be playing for the name rather than the features.

I love the price, construction, finish, playability, features especially given my newfound interest in rock'n'roll/rockabilly. My favourite feature is the semi-hollowbody style - this is the best of both worlds - a Les Paul like body plus its a hollowbody. My second favourite is the price - this is a truly affordable and unique guitar.

I hate the Epiphone signage (the sickle sign), although the headstock has cool retro signage. Some mightn't like the thinner than average distance between strings but I'm rapt with it - this mightn't be the guitar for players with big/fat fingers.

It is "harder" to play than the Stratocasters I have with low action, however that is perfect for the rock'n'roll/rockabilly style I'm playing which is more melodic than other styles I've played. I relied on reviews on this and other sites and I was not disappointed!

This guitar is designed as a more traditional style guitar so don't expect it to be a heavy metal machine. Roll back off the overdrive and enjoy the beautiful dulcette tones.

I got an early model with Gotho tuners. A couple of years into production the WildKat had a price drop, so I went to the store to check out a newer model. It felt very similar, so I am not sure if production year matters. I think it is well built. The paint is way too thick, though. The tremolosystem is unstable and kills tone. It it is a very good idea to block it. You will get a new guitar.
I put a 57 type humbucker i neck position. This works excellent with the knob configuration with master and individual volumes. The humbucker is quieter than the P90, and can be compensated when in combination. You can still adjust the input on the amp standing.
About the neck and fretwork: I think it is decent, like many Epiphones, but it is nowhere near a high-end product. I understand that many people get excitet over the value of this product, but don't have the illusion that this is comparable to anything made by luthiers. The polish on the neck is not the best for fast action.

The sounds I liked the most are Fender amp semi clean. The P90 can push the amp pretty hard and get great tones. This is the big thing with P90 Epi's and the reason I bought it. The pickups are good quality. They don't sound exactly Gibson P90, they are brighter, squeel faster, and perhaps less waxed. You can fix this yourself, I didn't bother. Anyway, I think that the p90's are the decent only pickups which Epiphone makes.
The body is hollow under the pickups, wich give them more vibration. The body is kind of small. I think it sounds like a combination of an Epiphone Les Paul, 335 and Casino. When I first got it, it still had the tremolo, and I thought it was kind of hard to get it to sound acoustic. I tried diffent strings and even with heavy gauge it was a but tame. When I blocked the tremolosystem (picked out the spring and dismounted the arm) it was a lot better. I still think it needs 11's to respond to the heavy wood. For more jazz-like tones, use a wraparound method and let the strings pass over the bar behind the ABR-1.

As i mentioned, the finnish on the back of the neck is an issue for me. I hate this kind of finnish. It forces my patiance and my playing style. I don't get why Epiphone does this to their otherwise nice products.
I saw that the newer tailpieces says "Bingsby" and not "Epiphone". Maybe they have improved this feature. If you want a Bingsby, it will suck a little tone. If you got the "Epiphone" tailpiece, it will certainly suck a lot of tone. Not worth it, so I advise you to lose it.
The controls and switching is ok. You can make subtle improvements if you wish. The pickups are noisy, squeely, dirty, and they should be for their use. The volume control gives many opportunities, especially with two different pickups.
The body finnish is way too thick. I wonder what it would sound like without it. Maybe someday I'll do a John Lennon job on it and sand it down. The figure maple top does not really look like wood flaming. If it is, then it is ruined by the thick finnish.

It is very heavy and the finnish can probably protect me agains gamma-rays, so it also works as a survival utility guitar. Keeps in tune after I got rid of the tremolo.

Never bothered to pay attention to warranties.

The body size is perfect for stage use. Hollowbody P90 guitars are not necessarily the easiest gigging axes. This one has a little better feedback handeling. It is a wonderful guitar that sounds better than it plays, but its shortcomings are not really a big deal. It is a part of the price range and some can be improved. I think it is important that people know what to expect. It is a very good buy, and one of the more useful designs from Epiphone.

Same features as everyone knows about. Semi-hollow body, Mahogany body, Maple top, P-90 pickups, Bigsby-esque vibrato, 1 master tone, 2 individual volumes, 1 master volume, and the worlds thickest polyurethane finish.

Plinky - Very little character -sounds like an average solid body guitar. But the volume controls allow you to maximize it's averageness. careful with your stomp boxes. These pickups would rather squeal than give string feedback. For the most part it's a lot duller than you would expect after reading these reviews. It's not bad - just not what you'd expect with all the "10's" posted in these reviews.

Good -
Finish is well applied on Epiphone's part. No goofs.
The nut and frets are well done also.
I had to set it up when I discarded the 10 gauge strings that came with it for 11's. It was no big deal - just an intonation.

Bad -
Headstock heavy and not balanced.
This thing is HEAVY. 8 Lbs gets a little uncomfortable after playing about an hour.
Saddle for the "A" string buzzes.
Polyurethane finish is too thick (although, indestructible).

I had the pickup selector go out on me mid gig (no output at all). It was easy enough to fix myself. Other than that, it's rock solid. The vibrato has gotten a bad rap here. If you use a little light machine oil on the nut and where the strings go over the saddles then it works well.

Dunno.... It does have a warranty plastered on the ugliest orange sticker known to man, which is inside the upper F hole.

I bought this guitar after reading the glorifying reviews from this site. My local dealer was out of stock, so I purchased one mail order from Musicians Friend. I was really disappointed with the sound of this guitar. It just didn't match the hollow body/rockabilly impression. It sounds like an average SOLID body guitar with very little character. I've since played a demo model at my local dealer to find that my initial impression was correct - it sounds average. I do like the playability, controls, and look of the Wildkat (which makes it usable). I've been playing since 1984 so I've accrued enough gizmos to make this guitar sound good. But, If I just plug it in directly to my amp (Fender Deluxe Reverb) then it sounds like wasted money. So, if you have some COSM effects or a plethora of stomp boxes then this guitar may be for you. If your looking for an honest, stand alone Rockabilly git box then......Move along....This one's not for you.

very nice appeal immediately. I'm a sucker for that "RocknRoll" roots guitar look. I rate it a 10 easily. Bigsbys have the majesty of a white 74 Cadilac Eldorado. Not sporty, but classic. Put that on a maple bookmatched with F-holes, hey that just looks good to me. I'm biased.

The Eiphone licensed Bigsby tremo is pretty sweet. Can add the perfect amount of tremolo. Although, players who are used to hard dives on their Floyd Rose locking tremelo systems might not be suited for a Bigsby.

The P90s are very nice.
This is guitar is perfect for a person who really prefers humbuckers over singel coils. So having said that; in the "Les Paul vs. Stratocaster " generalizations. I think this really appeals to the Les Paul fans more so. If this is what P90s sound like, I've been missing out.

I'm totally amazed by the sound but mostly the versatility. The master volume and independent volume controls (in parallel not in series like the LesPaul) are very useful.

When playing live I use the same amp tone but adjust the volumes to play everything from Beatles Sabath. I hate to admit it, but my LP can't do that.

A welcome weight switch from the Les Paul.

I also own a hollowbody Washburn. It is also light weight but most of the weight is in the neck. The wildkat being a semi-hollow has more of a presence and is balanced very well.

I like the P90s but not being able to pickup heights leaves me feeling a little restrictive is terms of changing the setup.

It does do very nicely playing live. It aslo took a full pint shattering on it and drenching it (note: don't put your guitar rack underneath a window ledge). I qiuckly wiped it up and put it away. A good cleaning and it was back at it the next gig.

I like the finish. I can't tell if it's a photo-finish. Or a real mapel cap. Regardless, it's a nice flame maple, bookmatched honey top.

Grover tuners; Very nice. Always a good sign that guitar has some redeaming qualities.

I do depend on it. I do use it at gigs so much that my Les Paul Standard, which I though was the shizzle, has now become my backup guitar to my WildKat.

Strap buttons are ok, but I should put locking straps buttons on it. I think that goes for any guitar you enjoy really.

I've been playing for 17 years and I've owned over 8 guitars. I also own a 97 Les Paul Standard that I covetted for years before getting it. Now, I grab the Wildkat first. It's just more versatile for all songs. A big plus when playing live. The weight is far easier to take than the LP when palying for 2 hours at a stretch.

I would replace it if stolen.

The only thing I would like is the bridge to have locking set screws on either side to keep it stationary when restringing. StewMacDonald offers it as a product and I've always thought that it just makes sense to have that in this style of bridge system.

If it were an actual "Bigsby" tremelo and not a "Epiphone" licensed copy, people would take it more seriously. If Epiphone is trying to establish itself as a quality guitar manufacturer like their parent company, inlcuding a "Bigsby" would be a plus.

OK enough has already been said about this guitar but I must add my comments thinking that this guitar exceeds expectations. I bought the guitar on ebay - transparent black finish, chrome hardware, real Bigsby, no modifications, "never been taken outta the house". I would rate the ebay seller at a 10.

Super clean frets, setup high on 12, but in tune, intonation on the mark someone set it up, this cant' be factory. The P90s are vibrant and microphonic, very live, wow. good gawd these pickups rock. Dial em down and you get that nice jazz thind. I find the middle position with both pickups is the most intersting. The sound is fantastic. The rosewood fretborad is gorgeous. My frets never needed leveling. OK the bigsby. Of course: I bought this guitar for 395 on ebay with the sole intention of putting another 400-500 into a roller bridge, graphtech nut, and serious bigby tuning. INSTEAD: I put a set of ernie ball 11s ion it, and cannot let go of the ax long enough to take it down to have the work done!! Good god this guitar has got some serious mojo and attitude and the p090s just rock your world. I am playing this guitar through a Fender Champ (70s) with no effects. I cannot put the guitar down logn enough to do the work on it that a) I envisioned adn 2) it needs. It sounds too good

It will not stay intune. Welcome to wildkat/bigsby. I will address that issue by installing graphtech nut and roller bridge. The bigsby is gorgeous, if you don't press it too much, then everything goes out. I woud have had the work done last week, but I can't put the guitar down I got the transparent black on ebay $395. Epinphone don't ship that any more, and I am so happy. I cannot believe this guitar is under $500. The frets, fit finish, binding is just AWESOME, and smooth. So gorgeous. Laying on the bed it looks like a $3000 Les Paul black custom with a bigsby until you go -- oh-- that's an ... Ephiphone what??
This is a $500 guitar. Wow. So I will take this from a factory shipped 8 fit/finish t a 10 when i replace all those things...

The transparent black is so nice I have not bothered to try to see the book maching on the maple top - but it is there and probably is ok.

Big note: one reason I bought this guitar is because it is supposed to have a big phat ass Gibson neck on it. My particular guitar has a gorgeous neck but it is more like a 335 or a Telecaster. It is not a fat Gibson neck, but a fast, thin jazz neck. I'm not complaining -- it's gorgeous and althought eh binding/fret bmps arenot the smoothest onearth, it's just SO nice.

Very tough, stays in tune (I put .11 slinkys on immeidately) don't touch the Bigsby, it is awesome. Play the bigsby and ok ,you enter that territory. I put 11s on, intending to have hardware repalacement s done at a guitar center, but, never got there. CAn't put hte ax down -- it just rocks.

Never called Epiphone.

I cannot believe this ax is less than $500. I have a 99 tele and a 56 Gibson vintage jazz box with P90. I was shopping either a Pat Martino or a Johnny A Gibson Custom but saw the Wildkat and got it. What a personality this guitar has. The P90s have a "quack" which when you hit them too hard, is evident. you only do that on guitars you like (heh). I'm rating this a 9 - I'm not wealthy enough to understand what a 10 is.

Semi-hollow body guitar with P-90 single coils pickups and Bigsby tremolow. Guitar quality was okay, similar to many other $400 dollar Epiphones, WildKat over priced at $1200 suggested list price. On sale for around $400 is about right.

Many found the P-90's to their liking but for me I felt they were too muddy. I have had other guitars with P-90's and like the fat sound they get but the WildKat just seemed muddy and lacking in tone. I tried it with various tube and solid state amps and over all disliked the sound.

Action was a bit high but over-all it played satisfactoraly, pickups cannot be adjusted for hieght, finish was flawed on the neck (probably why the guitar was sold at discount) but the rest of the guitar was finished nicely. Frets were okay, similar to $400 Epiphones, tuning pegs were a little rough.

Guitar seems built well and should hold up fine to regulare use. Nothing stood out as being cheap.

Never used them

Okay cheap guitar but falls flat in tone department, stuck within a small range of tone and can be quite muddy.

Light stained flame top with a super shiny finish, sort of a big les paul style body. Tune-O-Matic bridge with Epiphone Bigsby (newer models have a genuine Bigsby). Grover tuners and medium frets. 2 chrome dog ear P-90's, 2 independent volume controls with master volume, one tone control and your usual Gibson style 3 way switch. Cool embossed Epiphone nameplate on headstock.

I play mostly classic rock, early metal, punk and blues. The Wildkat fits the bill everything, probably not for metal though. I have never owned a hollow or semi-hollow body guitar before or anything with a Bigsby, but this thing had a great buy it now price, so I figured what the hey. The best word to describe the sound is MEATY! This guitar sounds great clean and really good overdriven through a Marshall 15 and a silverface Fender Twin. Lots of bottom end and midrange punch. I swapped the .038 tone cap for a sprague orange drop .022 a few days after I got the guitar. I will probably put the .038 back in as some of the highs were lost. The P-90's sound great, not particularly noisy at normal volumes, but you can get some serious "screach" with overdrive at higher volumes. Dip 'em in wax if it's a problem. I have played plenty of P-90 guitars, and these pickups are keepers. I personally like the master volume control. All of the electronics look high quality to me, no scratchy pots and no problems with the 3 way switch here.

I'm gonna go with a "7" here (though it is a 9 now, after some work). I got mine used but I still had to file the nut a good bit to get everything right. The bridge pickup was screwed on slightly crooked, I will fix that later. The finish and flame top are very shiny. This guitar CAN be an awesome axe BUT you have to spend a few bucks and do a little work on the Bigsby to get it to stay in tune. It CAN be done, more on that later...

I would definitely gig this, but always carry a back up. Hardware seems quality, finish looks quite durable and the guitar feels solid overall. Straplocks are the first thing to add to all my electric guitars. I beleive this one will last a very long time.

N/A

I have been playing about 20 years. Had to sell all my Gibson's, can't afford them right now. I currently own an Eastwood Stormbird, a Takamine G series Acoustic, the Wildkat, a silverface Fender Twin, a solid state 15 watt Marshall and an Epiphone Valve Junior head. This is a great guitar at a great price. The main problem is the Bigsby. Mine wouldn't stay in tune even if I DIDN'T use the Bigsby. I think the problem is the string angle is too steep at the back of the bridge with the roller on. It had intonation problems as well. Here's how I fixed this and made this guitar play GREAT!!! The first modification to do is GET RID OF THE ROLLER BEHIND THE BRIDGE!!!! Loosen the strings, Remove the snapring on the side closest to the volume knobs, and pull the thing out upwards, then throw it in your parts box. This will give the strings an almost straight shot from the end of the Bigsby to the bridge. I also invested $23 in a new set of Graph-Tech saddles. I ended up having to turn the bridge around to where the screws faced the Bigsby, as the Graph-Tech's are shorter and the strings were hitting the screws. A little filing on the saddles and this thing stays in tune damn near perfectly. Intonation is spot on now too. Now I like everything about this guitar. I can't put it down!!! I'm giving it a "9" overall, after the modifications. I would definitely track another one down if it came up missing. The only other thing I would like to share is, Kids, if you are still playing with .009's, do yourself a favor and throw some 11's on your axe (or at least 10's) and find out what your guitar should sound like!!!

Got mine used from a pawn shop. It's the turquoise color, and I like the color. Mine has the "official" bigsby. Never had a Bigsby before and when I put strings on it it was really tough(I hate to re-string any of the guitars I have). It has the grovers and whover had it beofre I did must have hardly played, it was really like new when I cleaned it up. Has the P-90's which sound good. I like the bound fretboard and body-it looks quality for the price. Can't tell where it was made, but probably it was Korea.

The sound is rich, mid-rangy compared to the others I have. Pots a little scratchy. I plan to spray some tuner/cleaner in them soon. I use a Univox combo amp with a 12" speaker tp practice (it's all tube-old and vintage) and it sounds good with the Wildkat. Im use a Sovtek that I had hot rodded (new pots, a master volume-and other upgrades) on stage. It has 50 watts and when cranked-it smokes.

When I first got it, I had to set the intonation for 11's I put on it. Was not out much. A problem I found was 2 slightly high frets on 2 string locations. I took my files to them, polished them out and now the action is as good as any of my guitars. I don't like doing this, but for the money tis cost, it's all you should expect. I raised the neck PU by placing thin pieces of cork underneath the screws that hold the PU on. It is now closer to the strings and sounds fuller-you can't see the cork either. Binding is good, finish thick and rich.

I will use it live, but will carry a backup in case a string breaks-the Bigsby is tought to string. Two screws were stripped and I had to put toothpicks in the holes to get a good grip for the screws-another quality issue.

Don't expect I'll use it....

Been playing 35 years or so. I own A Taylor acoustic 4 Ibanez Les Pauls with set necks (the lawsuit ones-excellent guitars-my main ones). A Samick San 450 (very nice) An Ibanez L-5 copy jazz box (another lawsuit one also excellent), and 2 Squirer stat copies both made in japan-also excellent quality. I like the fat neck on the Wildkat-real comfortable to play, and the fit and finish is good. I also like the sound. Not sure I'd replace it if it was stolen. Overall the Wildkat is a good guitar-it feels and sounds good-just some quality issues I have with mine-high frets, etc.

I have the transparent black finish. Not my first choice (it's hard to see the wood grain) but it was used and the price was right. I think mine is a couple years old.

Nice big neck, extremely comfortable to play. Everything else is mentioned by others (dual P90's, bigsby, etc). Exactly what I wanted.

Sounded ok in the store, but once I got it home and put some 11's on it the thing came alive. I think it had 9's on it, what a shame, the previous owner probably never knew what this could sound like.

The rhythm pickup is outstanding to my ears. It's got a nice deep tone that works great for bassy rhythmic blues riffs (think Black Keys). The treble pickup is the "billy" part of the "rockabilly", gets a good sharp tone with the tone knob in the middle.

I don't understand why this is but the sound of this guitar is somewhat similar to the midrange Gretsch models I played before I bought it.

I play this mainly thru an Epi Valve Jr.

Bought it used so I don't have an opinion of the factory setup. The previous owner wasn't a fan of the bigsby so the spring is still really tough. This makes it a little hard to use (a buddy's Gretsch is much looser, much easier to use).

It looks like mine was put to use, has quite a bit of scratches on the top (I assume from wild picking technique) but is structurally perfect and all the hardware is in great shape.

My only complaint is the master volume knob is scratchy.

Seems to be built well.

Stays in tune unless the bigsby is exercised. I bought some graphite nut lube and lubed up the nut and bridge with minor success. My saddles have been worn by the wound strings so they don't slip and slide, they grab on the strings. I believe this is the root of my tuning problems. Roller bridge wouldn't hurt. The tuning problems are definitely minor anyways.

No cause so far.

Eh... 10 years or so. I've got a 50's Harmony archtop, a resonator guitar, and a couple miscellaneous other guitars.

I think I would replace it if stolen. I love the sound, and it's just really comfortable and suitable for what I want to play. And it's just totally different from your average strat, LP, or Ibanez axe.

I compared this mainly with the Gretsch line, the other Epi's, and a couple Artcores. Gretsch definitely has some nicer guitars but for 1/4 the price the Wildkat is the only guitar that would do.

Official bigsby, Grover tuners, Alnico P90's, mahogany body, bound body and neck, fitted hard case.
I really like the control set up, 1 volume pot for each pickup, 1 tone and 1 master volume.
For the price you pay, you get a whole lot of guitar.

The alnico P90's sound great for most styles, its got great tone, just don't use to much gain or the pickups become microphonic, if you want metal go get a jackson or something equally gay.
This is still a versatile guitar, can sound mellow and cuts through a band without sounding harsh.
Fit the guitar with gauge 11's (or heavier), that sorts out tuning problems associated with bigsbys.
I play a mixture of styles, blues punk indie stoner rock reggae.
Live, I play through a fender twin and use either a rat or a jekyll & hyde.
At home I generally don't bother with an amp, the guitar sound good unplugged.

Action was good from factory set up, only needed slight adjustment when I fitted heavier strings.
Overall I'm very impressed with the quality of the finish, aged binding is a nice touch, some minor imperfections in the paint work, but not really noticeable
This is a cool looking guitar.

The wildkat feels very solid for a semihollow guitar, I haven't had any problems yet, all the hardwear seems to be good quality. I gig without backup all the time.

Never needed them.

Overall I highly recommend this guitar, Its smaller than most hollow bodied guitars, kinda like an oversized Les Paul. It's got a nice weight and balance. This isn't your run of the mill gibson copy, it's a great guitar in its own right. Try one out if you get the chance, or just go out and buy one, you won't regret it.
Before I bought this I tried out a gretsch electromatic, the Wildkat is an all round better guitar, the gretsch felt too cheap and sounded too thin, the wildkats got more balls.
If it were lost or stolen I'd sell one of my redundent guitars and get another.

Mine is a 2006 ( i guess -- just bought it) Made in Korea. My first Korean guitar. Not bad either. It's got a laminate Transparent white quilted Maple Top (really nice) with Gold Hdwre and mahogony sides and back. You can feel the quality of the wood is just so so, but it sure is pretty. Gotta remember, this ain't no $2500 ES175.. thats why I bought it! The neck is a meaty "C" shape which helps sustain but its not a thin thrasher style neck. And forget playing above "A" octave. The cutaway design makes playing the last 4 frets REALLY HARD. Its got passive, highly microphonic (more on this later) P-90 style pups, Master volume which is excellent, Bigsby trem (more on this too), Grovers, adjustable tune-o-matic bridge.. actually a lot of nice features. The cutaway design and pups are the only reasons I give it a 7 instead of 9.

Its a really cool vibe. I'm a '54 classic myself so I been around for all the rock n'roll from the get-go. I like an axe that you can pull the notes out of. Thats what playin guitar is about..makin her talk without the need of anything but your fingers. The pups at low to medium gain are actually better then what I expected from a $400 guitar.

The big problem is *microphonics*. Kick in an overdrive pedal and here's where you get what you pay for. OUCH. Its not feedback, its squeal. If you play out in a R&R band and want to use this as your axe, you either POT the pups ( drop 'em in a bucket of hot wax for 20 minutes like I did) or get potted replacements. Potting cost me $4.00 in Wax and fixed 90% of the squeal. As long as I don't stand right in front of the amp with major gain cranked up I can get controlled Feedback like I should! I'm gonna have to replace Godsmack with Stevie Ray -- awww break my heart! :)

That being said, its got a 'mellow spank' and articulation to it when clean but will cut and bite when thru a Rat or Tube Screamer. The master volume is great. Lets you keep the individual vol. pots for each pup wide open for max tone but lower the volume. Like a volume pedal. Its not any noisier the other P-90's. The Treble pup has a nice bite -- not harsh which was a nice surprise. I played it last night at practice thru my '76 Princeton Reverb on about 5 and it had a nice amount front end overdrive when clean and when I kicked in the RAT it sang like a bird. The front pup is a little muddy by itself but it will be a good jazz tone. The Middle position was real nice for rock and roll rhythm cause it is more open them the front pup by itself.

About the Bigsby---the headstock on this baby is Wide and this creates a wide angle form the nut to the tuner causing like a 30 degree angle at the G and D strings. This causes the string to NOT return to its normal postion after trem work. I will definitely replace the nut with a graphite one or reshape the string channels cause the sucker will NOT stay in tune. After I used the trem, I had to stretch the strings (like when you put a new set on) to get it back in tune which tells you its the nut hangin' up. I put some graphite on the nut and it worked fine--- for a little while! Get a grahite Nut from Graphtech Labs.

It also sounds KILLER with a glass slide like Duane!

The guitar finish was Excellent! No orange peel anywhere, subtle yet beautiful quilt top (i sound like a commercial).
It came with 9's and I play 11's so I swapped 'em out fast. Action was lower then I like (think slide) so I guess it was good from the factory. Strings lined up perfectly above the pup screws. as good as my ES335. The nut has sharp edges.

Problems:
The input jack was totally screwed up. The nut is TOO BIG for the threads and it won't tighten. By the time I was done playing, the nut and washer had come off and the jack was floating in the guitar! Come on epiphone..I will replace this.

Neck is straight but two frets (the 18th and 19th fret) had deep file marks that could be felt when bending. I filed them out but again, poor quality control.

The Toggle seems a little frail but should be good for a bunch of years unless I abuse it. Grovers are always good. Gold plating always fades and oxidizes so I expect it.The POTS feel on the cheap side too but I also expected that from a $400 guitar. Whats important is that the Neck is straight and set in, the intonation is on the money, fretwork (overall) is acceptable and the visual appearance (finish) is beautiful... in that order.

I like to work on my stuff so I can always replace electronics or re-fret.

playing since 1963 -- seriously since 1969. I own a '69 SG (my first love). I have a '74 strat, Les Paul w/Tom Holms pups (unbelievable sound), ES335, Tele, PRS Custom 22, Carvin home made strat, Taylor CE-414, Gibson J50 Deluxe, '75 Fender Super Reverb, 68 Princeton, '78 Marshall 50W, '68 Bassman head, Line 6 Flextone...you end up with a lot of sh_t after 35 years! I wanted a semi-hollow body to play out in the bars (My ES335 is too nice for that) so I got the WildKat. EVERYONE plays Pauls or Strats or PRS..etc so I wanted something different. To my pleasant surprise, this sucker produces! You REALLY have to address the microphonic pups to use in a cover Rock and Roll band. If your in a Blues/Jazz/Rockabilly band, they are fine as is.

This is a 2004 Wildkat in that yellowish maple birdseye finish, looks really nice and is pretty flawless. Bigsby looks realy cool on and works well. Comes with P-90's.

P-90's sound great when played through a clean amp or a slightly overdriven one, nice bluesy sound which works on most styles. With the gained turned up a bit more starts to sound good for modern punky stuff, think american idiot.

They cut through really well when playing with a band, sound great compared next to a humbuckered les paul, has a crisp fresh sound to them.

The neck pickup seems a little quieter though than the bridge one.

Fitted some 11-56 slinkys which really bring out the big sound in it when the guitar is overdriven

Neck is very similar to my gibson les paul custom and has really good feel The body is quite light and about the same size as a les paul...... you can see where this is going.... its basically a semi-acoustic les paul with P-90's and a bigsby.

Action seems to be quite high when I got it, lowered it and fitted a set of 11-56 slinkys and its feels good.

Selector switch feels a bit fragile, could be due to being used, but have replaced.

Build quality seems good, bigsby stays in tune with a reasonable amount of abuse. Would gig with it but wouldn't use it live for too many consecutive songs when abusing the bigsby as the tuning wonders. It will be nice to swop between this and my LP

Never had to contact them

I really like it, bought it as a spare to compliment my les paul but find myself using it more. Was looking for P-90 les paul but saw this and was really taken with it.

Great when played unplugged. Even better when plugged into a nicely OD amp. Works well for rhythm and lead playing.

Its basically a semi-acoustic les paul with P-90's and a bigsby.


If stolen would replace

Features pretty well covered by previous reviews. Natural maple top, real Grovers and licensed Bigsby. Could use locking tuners and a roller bridge.

Good for older rock, blues and rockabilly; I can't see it as a metal guitar, I would think the feedback would kill you. The p-90s have a full , rich tone. A lot of reviewers have mentioned that it's like a mini Gretsch. Having had four Gretsches I'll let you in on a little secret- get a Snarling Dogs Very-tone pedal. On the country/rockabilly settings you'll have your Gretsch.

This was the second WildKat I tried. The first, shortly after they came on he market was terrible; this one was perfect out of the box. the finish and setup were right on. I guess it pays to try different ones to make sure that the quality is there.

I've already played it live, worked great. Bring a backup - if you break a string on a Bigsby-equipped guitar you'll be busy for a while. (Of course this is where locking tuners would help).

E-mailed the company to see if I could use my strap the T-Bone Walker stle (ie to the headstock). Had an answer the next day saying it shouldn't be any problem. Pretty smooth.

Playing and tinkering for 40 years, have owned over 40 guitars. Currently have a Carvin AE185, 'Classic 50's Strat, Gretsch Electromatic hollowbody, Fender Resonator bass and Martin Acoustic.This one has the features and the tone. I do find it heavier than I like for such a small guitar. One problem with the size is if you draw a triangle from the bridge to the master volume to the pickup switch you'll find that you have a pretty small picking/strumming surface. It's still a keeper.

2004 model according to serial #. No need to repeat features, other than to say it is a cool ax with it's own vibe and a Bigsby and that P-90 sound.

Love the tone, neck pup is a bit dark, but has a smokey jazzy vibe. Thing sings with both pups engaged, and with sep vols. you can get all those in-between sounds. Pups are pretty good, I'd be interested in Duncan's, but not dying to change them. Master vol. is a cool idea, I seldom use. I play though a bunch of analog effects into either a Mesa Boogie Nomad or a Fender Blues Deluxe, depending on my mood and the gig. It never sounds over-trebly. Pots are quiet, but very stiff. 3-way selector is surprisingly ok and does not need replacement.

Here's the disappointment of this machine, but my fault for buying without actually playing. Apparently it is a Friday-guitar.. Most screws were stripped, as bore holes were over-size. Truss rod cover too long and bent up at nut, and screws in at odd angles. Neck pickup OFF-CENTER over 1/8 inch. Bigsby handle floppy-loose. Output jack plate bent away from body. Bridge radius doesn't match neck. Body full of polishing compound. Pickup screw shanks too long.
Action is OK after intonating, could be lower, but not bad. Finish is perfect, 'natural', a bit yellow but nicely done. Frets fit and are pretty smooth, nut cut well. Guitar is a bit headstock-heavy, like a Sheraton. Tuners are smooth, say Grover on them, but seem like they may be licensed perhaps... as does Bigsby.
I am not anal about my guitars, and all this is easily remedied, but.. it's an almost-new guitar!!! and it seems you should not have to super-glue toothpicks in a new guitar!!!
I would NOT buy one of these mail-order... Play it first.

I don't find it delicate. My first Bigsby, and once it stabilizes it seems to stay in tune faily well as long as you don't flog it. Heavier strings (EB 11's) make it sing nicely. I don't expect the hardware to look new forever on an inexpensive guitar. I expect to have to keep an eye on the screws, etc. Like any other gigging machine..

Never dealt with Epi/Gibson except for email, sometimes answered, sometimes not. Typical.

I take the 'finishing' work as Zen... That said, I love this little ax, enjoy it's tone and playing it and looking at it... Own 10+ guitars, playing about 10 years seriously, gig occasionally... I'll keep it..

Features already stated in prior reviews.

Great full sound with the P-90's;sounds great through a Fender Prosonic with a touch of tube reverb. I play in an oldies/classic rock band and this works just fine. Note:the P-90's have more drive than Strat or Tele single coils, you can get a decent AC/DC like crunch. Fantastic open clean sound.

I bought this used off ebay so it needed a set-up. Now it is very sweet with XL110's and a tightened up Bigsby. Great intonation and action.

I haven't really put it to the test yet. I bought it last fall when my gigging season was winding down.

Great value if you can get a good price. If you can get past the 'made in Korea' thing it may balance out your collection. Other electrics I have: 2000 American Natural Ash Tele,1991 Deluxe Strat Plus,1991 Ibanez RG550 with Dimarzio pups.

2005 Natural Semi-Hollow Body Archtop. Made in Korea. The top I believe is laminate. 1 Master volume, 2 volume pots (one for each pickup) and one single tone pot. Alnico-P90's, 3 way selector, Real Grover tuners and a real Bigsby trem.

My style is whatever I feel like playing. Mostly Blues. I play through a Fender Blues Junior sometimes with a Digi RP-80. Pickups are noisy as hell at any volume setting above 5 but easily workable. You can get anything from clean to chunky to serious drive out of this guitar. I dont like the way the Bigsby has the strings slide across flat areas rather than rollers. I always feel like a string is about to pop, as well you can hear it if you divebomb the trem, the cracking noise of the strings I mean.

GC setup was really good. Pickups were adjusted perfectly. My friendly neighborhood luthier didnt have to change anything. There were no flaws with this guitar, it came dang near perfect.

I have not done it yet, (use it playing live) but lets hope it stands up. Personally I think it will. I think the hardware is pretty good, the P90's, grovers and bigsby are all quality you would expect on a much more expensive axe. I WOULD NOT gig without a backup with this or any other guitar.

Warranty page on thier website only went to 2005. Jan 10th I called Epiphone to let them know I couldnt register my warranty because of that (had to leave a message). The next night I recieved a call back and they promptly sent me the registration form and now Im getting all sorts of catalogs from Gibson.

I have been playing for about 30 years. Have had some decent guitars and some crappy jobs,this ranks right up there with my better guitars. If it were stolen or lost I would probably by a Gretsch the next time around. But dont get me wrong, I really really like this guitar and you cannot beat it for the price. One of the things I love about this guitar other than the sounds that eminate from it) is the fact that its beautiful. You wont be embarrased to carry this and play anywhere. I dont hate anything about it. My favorite feature is the Bigsby. I compared it to the Artcores (close to the same) and the Oskar Schmidts. Only buy the OS if you have little cash, but the OE30 is definitly worth it, but no where near the quality of this axe. I wish it had a pickguard.

2006 model, epiphoe WildKat Limited Edition Custom Shop, Transparent White, Gold hardware, double vacuum wax potted p-90s, grover tuners, Bigsby vibrato, master volume. i agree with a previous reviewer's observation that the guitar "has a delicate nature". but, since i installed flatwound 12s on her, she is ready to be man-handled.

By now, you know the major specs, produces Gibsonesque tones, maybe a bit brighter, Epiphone Custom Shop wax-potted pickups are standard in the Limited Edition Custom Shop, definately Gibson quality, quiet operation, no feedback. Bigsby is OK if strung normally (strings under the 1st roller). but, functions alot better avoiding the 1st roller, and connecting to the 2nd pivoting roller only. Stays in tune alot better with the heavier flatwounds, and avoiding the 1st Bigsby roller; intonation is improved as well. i wish that the non-microphonic p-90s had more brightness and jangle.

Transparent White finished top, with mild tiger striping underneath, back and sides are a light Lavender!; with dark cream ninding; a very unique color scheme; has a pinkish (flesh) hue; a bit feminine looking, but still very classy; flawless fit and finish; beautiful guitar. You can tell someone at the factory set this baby up; out of the box action was very good; intonation spot on; straight neck; good frets.

seems very durable.

no past experience

Been playing about 37 years; owened many guitars; great guitar for the money. i expected to spend more $ for a fret dress, new electrionics, etc. but she is fine as is (for now). i may replace pups later for more jangle and twang.

Bought it new in a Nerwegian guitar shop. Quite an expencive guitar comparing it to US prices.
Made in 2001 in Korea, 21 frets two volum and one tone, and one main volume, 3 way selector and a Epi Bigsby. Two P-90 singel coil picups that sounds great. And the body.. Small size body wich fit me well.

Perfect for blues jazz and all kind of music. But not good for heavy metal. To much feedback in the hollowbody.
The sound is warm and colourfull. I normally use a Roland Cube 30-60.

The guitar was well set up from the factory. Had to lower the action a little. And of cause, the 3 way selector and one of the potmeters had to be changed. Too bad Epi dos`nt put in better electronics.

The onely problem with the guitar is i will not stay tuned if you bend the strings. I have 0.11 strings and it seems to me that it would be better witn 0.9 /0.10. I would use this great guitar on a gig - oh yeah !! I would give it a 9 or 10 but gives it 8 for not staying in tune.

n.a.

I have been playing for more than 40 years. From badminton racket to strat, Byrdland. I saw the guitar in the shop and fell in love. Is the prettiest guitar ever made, (bengalic tiger),and I miss her. Sold her by mistake a few months ago. I want to by a new Wildkat, and will proparbly get one sooner or later.I now play a Birdland, and it a great guitar too. I lowe the size and sound of the Wildkat, and have nothing negative to say. If you get a Wildkat keep it. Change the potmeters and selector to better quality and you have a guitar for ever.

No brainer pro solution. Gretsch is way overpriced

Rockabilly, R&R, Blues. Subtle sounds far to complex for the metalheads!

For #255 in the UK secondhand with the quality on show here it is criminal to have such versatilty and a case with this level of pure vintage vibe. Unless you can find a DeArmond Starfire Special you cannot beat this guitar for those essential pre-sixties sounds.

Feels fine but has a delicate nature

Find a good local luthier and develop your relationship. It will pay mojo dividends. Multi nationals are not good once they have your dollars.

A superstar in a world of blandola!

transparent finish,semi-hollow, bigsby tremolo, grover tuners, cheapo p-90s, finished neck. good looking, not to tough to set up. mine came set up pretty well from G.C. I especially like the smaller body. Blows away all but the best of the new Gretsch guitars. You could go with the Gibson ES-135 for similar sound and features, but you'd spend at least 2 or 3 times as much. Truth be told this isn't my main guitar. I have a couple of modded strats and a tele. The Wildkat is usually my back up. If I wanted to use a semi-hollow for my main instrument I would probably spend the extra money and go with the ES-135.

I play in a greaser rock and roll/r&b band. We do everything from jump blues to hillbilly bop to proto-soul. The Wildkat has the look and the p-90s/semi-hollow combo gives a pretty good variety of sounds that are well suited for the music that I play. Bare in mind that I aspire for pretty raw 50s-ish guitar tones like you hear on old Sun,Chess,King,Federal etc records. I use a Fender Reverb Deluxe reissue or a Fender Pro Jr depending on the venue. I do use pedals: A Boss TU-2>Guyatone ST-2>Jauernig Luxury Drive>Tech 21 Double drive>Voodoo Labs MicroVibe>Danelectro Dan Echo. When I use the Pro Jr I lose the double drive, add a Boss TR-2 tremolo and Fender 62 reissue reverb tank.

Yeah I like gear.

The p-90s can be a bit noisy, but every guitar with p-90s that I've ever played are noisy. So are my fenders for that matter.
A little noise comes part in parcel if you're going for the kind of sound that I like. If your going to use the Bigsby I'd recommend a graphite nut or using some nut sauce.

no complaints. The construction on this is good. If you can get this for less than $400 and it is in good shape then you are getting a heck of a lot of instrument for your money.

I play aggressively and we do long sets. I've used this all night. This thing can take it. I always have at least one backup. I don't think I'd ever do a gig on any guitar without one, but a less aggressive player could definately do so.

never dealt with them. I have had 3 epiphones- a dot 335, a 56 goldtop and the wildkat. I've never had any issues with any of them.

I've been playing guitar for about 5 years. I have quite a few guitars, pedals and the 2 amps that I've named above. I like variety so I sell and trade stuff regularly. The only guitars that I'd not consider dumping are my strats and my tele and the danelectro guitarlin that my gal bought me. I wish that it didn't have a finished neck --I'm a Fender guy really. I'd take some steel wool to it, but I may trade or sell it someday and it doesn't really bother me that much. It's a fun guitar. I enjoy it, it's well made, looks and sounds great. I ain't married to it though.

Initially I bought this guitar just for its appealing look and because I liked to own a guitar with P90 pickups. Now I've owned it for almost one year and I observed it under any points of view.
Maybe its made of more narrow pieces of wood (the back and the sides of the body) compared with Gibsons' and expansive guitars , but I have to say that they are very good assembled and very finished in every details everything works fine, just one little note : the bigsby arm tends to loose its solidity with the mechanism and sometime its necessary to screw up the screw-nut. The small body is very comfortable to keep in your legs during practicing.

Taking it in your hands ... you'll immediately get a great feeling with this guitar, the P90 pickups are amazing and very usable in every their combination. Their "compressed" sound combined with the single coil brightness gives you a great compact distorted sound or a glassy sound when in the clean channel ... I use it with a Fender twin amp and the system works perfectly. Great sustain...
Really it is a very usable guitar , not less than my Gibson ES175D.!!!
And its price is tiny!!! I have to say that also in acoustic it sound nice ... the body vibrates very well with the strings vibrations. Surprisingly for a semi hollow and small bodied guitar!

Everithing is fine ... a very solid (and heavy) guitar (even if small bodied) ... I tried to low down the action alot ... and I partially managed in it ... I got a "low action" without buzzs , not a "very low action" ... but for the rest I met the same problem for my Gibson, so I guess I were asking for a too low action ;)

It got much better when I changed strings ... it is wonderful with ErnieBall regula slinky .10 set (the one with yellow-green package)

Until now ...it works fine !

I didn't need any customer support

Its an amazing guitar for its price!! In fact I'am buying also an AlleyKat ...the same mechanic but different pickups ... its a very well built guitar I think (and I'am a guitar collector that own many guitars)

Made in November of '03 (bought at Daddy's Junky Warehouse sale for $320, because it has a postage-stamp-sized stain under the finish on the upper bass bout).

Flamed Antique Natural top with Mahogany sides and back, Grover tuners, Bigsby, and "Designed-by-Gibson" P90s.

Everything you need.

Very good to excellent P90 tone. The sound brightened up considerably when the polepieces were raised and balanced, as is typical with P90s and other pickups.

The tone quality really jumped when I replaced the aged (blackened) strings with 11-50s.

Nice fat P90 sound, ballsy on the neck pickup lower strings (no mud). No need to change the pickups out.

I found out the (unpotted) P90s squeal when switching effects. This is not normally a problem for me, since I don't use overdrive, but I may pot the pickups anyway, to eliminate any microphonics.

Excepting the one blemish, was virtually perfect (I lowered the nut on the top two strings a bit). Neck is arrow-straight, fret ends smooth (actually rounded). Bridge was properly located and nut spacing correct (unlike a Casino I tried recently).

Solid design (that's why it weighs 8 pounds), including hardware. Tuning is stable, even with Bigsby use.

With it's large "sustain soundpost," it's rugged (top is 3/16", but still sounds like a hollowbody).

The neck didn't move when changing from 10-46s to 11-50s. Very unusual.

No experience with this guitar. My experience with Gibson has been very good overall (mostly excellent; a little bad).

Interested me in a retro way, but ended up sucking.

Decent for clean, reverbish, complex chording, no way for singing leads, forget it. No 3 dimensional sound here, unless howling, hollowbody feedback is your thing. Think bassman, twin or deluxe fender gain structure and this may work for you if your into the Cliff Gallup twang...but it doesn't twang like a Gretch, twangs like a Korean import of sub-standard material put together with skilled mass workers. P90's and bigsby would appear to be aimed at early rock primalness a al' Link Wray. The use of the Bigsby knocks this guit promptly out of tune. May work for the Peter Gunn theme ad-nauseum. If you can figure out the trick this pony may work. But play lot's of em' cause their cranking these things out like Hundai's, and remember, Buddy Holly played a Strat.

Action was blah, no spring to the strings, setup poor, fretted out at 10th fret and buzzed someplaces. I raised the action to be even across the board and it helped a little...at least it buzzed out evenly. The rest of the workmanship was pretty darn good. I think solid wood materials other than laminates make a huge difference in a instrument. The thing strums loud because it's semi-hollowbody, but due to poor materials makes no difference when amplified. The p90's hum like a substation and grind quite well, overdriving my 65 champ with ease. It still can't help the laminate materials the thing is construted of. Save your hard-won rockabilly money for a Setzer Gretch or Gibson.

Unknown, took it back.

N/A

Solid body rockers, beware. This thing is for clean, low-to-no gain situations. Being primarily a skanking strat rthythm player and gary moore type searing soloist, I was looking for something different. I either lack the skills or don't have time, patience or extra $$$ to make this work for me.

Bigsby tailpiece, p-90, i think the body is made of mahogny and the top is made of maple. A very good finish which makes the guitar look much more expensive. My wildcat has a original bigsby, not one of those epiphone ones. The features on this guitar are just great. I give it a 9 because of the tuners which tend to get out of tune quite quikly.

The sound of this guitar is just great. I play mine through a kustom tube 12a and juse a zoom707, and even through this crappy equipment the guitar sounds great. I have also tried it through a cube 30(with one of my friends.
I am 16 years old now, and this is my second guitar. I used to have a squier strat, and the diferense between them are just scary. I play mostly rock. Zeppelin and pink floyd kind of stuff, but i've also started to get interested in jazz, and this guitar suits me perfectly. It has a very fine clean sound, and good overdrive sound. But it is not really that good at playing metal, but im tired of that kind of musik anyway.

I hated the way the guitar was setup wen i bought it. The intonation was terrible, and it just didnt feel right to play on it. I was this close not to buy this gutiar because of that, but the sound was just so great and it looked so good. So i bought it, and read a lot on the net about how to set up the guitar. The first thing i did was to change the strings to 0.11 and then adjusted the truss rod so the neck did not have any relief(f?) then i lowered the action til the verge of fret buzing, and then adjusted the intonaton, and that did it. The guitar is now so comfortably and set up, in my point of view, perfectly. the finish was also breathtaking. i Give it a 6 fore the way it was when i bought it, but it is a 10 now!

I don't really know, ive only had it for 7 months but it looks as if it will last some time.

never dealt with them

I am not really that experienced when it comes to guitars. I'm only 16 after all, but this guitar is truly great.

Features are well documented already. It has Grovers and the whammy bar is a Bigsby. My guess is that it's licensed by Bigsby but made by Epiphone. The wildKat is a thin guitar - think ES335 - NOT ES175. Also, the WildKat is heavier than you'd think - just as heavy as my solid body 5 string bass!

I've been wanting a hollow body electric guitar to add to my collection for a long time. As much as I wanted one, it never seemed to get to the top of the "Needs" list - it just stayed on the "Someday" list. Then to my surprise, my wife said I could order one up for Valentines Day! Woo hoo! I wanted a guitar to do Brian Setzer rockabilly sound, early Beatles (Day Tripper, Nowhere Man, Ticket to Ride, etc), Sun Records rockabilly/country sound, and still pull off blues and jazz standards. I'm not a heavy duty jazzer - more the thing when Clapton does "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." To sum up, I guess I'm looking for a poor man's Gretsch. I had to decide between the Epiphone WildKat and the Ibanez AFS75TD.

Both guitars seem to be designed to fill that need. After 5 months of routine to heavy usage, I have to say the WildKat nails that stuff. The clean, chimey tones are very Beatles 65. I recorded some slide parts and it just nailed the distorted blues sound. All the rockabilly/country stuff was very authentic sounding. I like my jazz tones a litle brighter than most, so the P90s give me a clear, pure tone I may not get with a guitar made for jazz. I've played rock, jazz, country, blues and it just gets the sound - distorted or clean.

Action - very playable right out of the box. I waited to tweak it - it was that close. The tone knob was a little scratchy at first, but I worked it out by working the knob back and forth. Not a biggie. There was minor problem with the 13th fret. I didn't notice it for months - but the guitar was fretting out at the 13th fret, but if I pushed harder it would play clean! No big deal - I had a tech shave down the frets. He charged me less than he quoted because it was even easier than he thought. More on this later. Another issue - the metal cover on the neck pup started to peel after 3 weeks. See comments under Customer Support.

Epiphones have a consistency problem. Off the rack, some of their guitars are gold and others are firewood, so you have to be careful about what you buy. I look at Epi's as potential fixer uppers: I take the purchase price and figure what the potential upgrades would cost so the guitar was up to snuff. On the Wildkat, I had $400 to start, $200 or less for redoing all electronics, if the Bigsby was no good, I would return the guitar - that and a bad neck were deal breakers. Tuning keys were another judgement call. Doing all those things had well under the price of similar guitars from Gibson, Gretsch, Guild etc. and there's no guarentee what they're like off the rack either.Turns out any electronic upgrades, fixes would be less than $50 maybe even less than $20. I expect to play this guitar for many years.

I called them about the peeling pickup. The guy told me they normally don't support finish type problems, but since I'd had it so short a time that he thought they should. I expect them to send me a pickup cover - instead, the sent a whole new pickup! It took 2 weeks to get it. I was very pleased.

I started playing music 30 years ago. I now write songs in my home studio and have an assortment of guitars, basses, and keyboards. The guitars are Carvin and an old acoustic. I also hava a Carvin acoustic bass, 74 Fender Jazz, 79 BC Rich Mockingbird bass and a Dean 5 string bass. If this were lost etc, I'd definitely replace it. I'll definitely consider other Epiphones as well. I AB-ed this guitar with the Ibanez AFS75TD. Sound wise they're only subtley different - the Ibanez has humbuckers instead of single coils and I preferred the extra bite. If I played more jazz than rock and country, I'd have the Ibanez. I prefered the feel of the Epiphone, but you can't go wrong with the Ibanez - quality control may be better. If Epiphones consistency problems concern you or if you don't have access to a good tech, the Ibanez may be the way to go.

2002,Black transparent, you know the specs.
Mine does have grover tuners though.
Some bad fit around the f holes in the binding,nothing to major.
Great neck, feels alot like my Les Paul. Very comfortable.

Great guitar for just about any style.
p90s are nice and clean when I roll off the volume
or can grind with the best of em.
Use a 59 Bassman LTD with boss gt6.
Sounds like p90s should, not too much noise much less than some I've owned. I like p90s so I take the good with the bad.
This guitar sounds great on all pickup settings, I even use the bridge pickup which has never happened before on any hollowbody I've owned. I love the tones I get from it... early beatles to SRV.
Stray cats, buy this guitar with some slapback delay I'd put it against any Gretsche.

Poor setup when I got it, set the neck to perfectly flat, strung it with ernie ball 10s, Raised the action just enough to stop fret buzz.
One of the few guitars I own that I have been able to set the neck this flat without having to file the last 6 or 7 frets down. AMAZING.
Plays almost as well as my 72 SG. The bookmatched top does look nice
but doesn't match up at all. All controlls work well and I love the master volume, it is placed nicely wish I had it on allmy guitars.

I belive it will hold up nicely its built well. I like the Bigsby,
stays in tune as long as you behave.
It is heavier than I had expected,but does have excellent sustain.
It will feedback if you crank your amp so beware. I have found I use the master volume alot to help controll this, but I will keep playing this at all my gigs. It is now a part of my main line up. It is also great for those early stones tones Sticky fingers, etc.

Don't know.

Been playing guitar in cover bands for 17 years.
Have a LP,SG, Gibson Acoustic, (john lennon model)
Fender Bassman LTD, Hot Rod Deluxe, Boss GT6,(an excellent multi effects)
If this was stolen, I'd replace it but not sure if I'd be able to get
one that plays this nice.
I played the Ibanez and Samics, I bought this guitar solely for the master volume feature and I wanted a hollowbody but not an ES type.
No Regrets at all. For the money you cant go wrong, I have hardly touched my LP or SG since I got this guitar and it has been three weeks.

Korean made with P90s. The torquoise finsh is absolutely stunning. One of the prettiest guitars I've seen in awhile. It surpassed my expectation. Despite other comments, I like the controls. I'm a simple guy and this thing lets me set up the way I like and adjust volume from there. A lot of people think it has the Gretsch vibe. I think it's more a hollow or semi-hollowbodied relative of a Les Paul. It certainly has the weight. Think Gibson/Epi's version of a thinline - at least in my opinion. The tuners are great but the Bigsby is a bit dissappointing but I've been told that all bigsbys work the way this one does - it's my first. The best whammy barred guitar I ever owned was a Reverend Avenger but that's another story for another time. It has a fat C neck and came with no accesories.

I play all kinds of styles and this seems to do the job admirably. I play it through a Fender Blues Jr and though it doesn't have the power to roar - it certaily has a mean mean growl. It's a rich full sound through the Fender and it especially likes the Adrenalinn II and Big Muff PI. I guess I rock wioth it more than anything. I love everything about this guitar except the Bigsby which is great to dive bomb with but I like to pull out of a dive and climb high as a rule. Again, I've been told that Bigsbys are not for that purpose.

It played fine upon arrival. I had it professionally set up upon receipt and it makes a huge difference. It plays like butter and sounds like thunder. I'm not sure what all the cryingis about in the other reviews. This is one of the most playable instruments I own. The finish as mentioned above is spectacular. I noticed that's a common with everyone else too. Just beautiful. I love this guitar.

So far it seems very solid and reliable.

no opinion

I've played since 4th Grade in the early 60's. I own about 9 guitars right now, paired down from 15 or 17. If I can't get around to playing them, they need to be in the hands of someone who will. I currently own guitars to fill specific purposes for me. I have Alvarez 12 string and classical 6 string, acoustic electrics (surprisingly fabulous), A Guild JF30 (American 90's made), Fender Nashville Power Tele Deluxe with Fishman's (maybe my fav), A Fender Custom Shop 1960s Esquire reissue (Sunburst), Ric 620/6 and model 1997 in Fireglo, A Fender Strat XII (nice alternative to a Ric), Hamer Echotone (killer guitar for the twice it's value), A Faded SG (I looked 20 years for the perfect SG no matter what the price- this one is the one for me).

I play Friday night garage jams, it's less work than trying to be a pro and I compose/record. This guitar fits a specific grind, and reallylikes going through the various modeler effect boxes out on the market like the POD and my old Digi RP1.

I'm not sure I would replace this immediately if lost or stlen but there would be a hole in my musical life. It's a lot of fun to play and has fast action. The only thing I wish it did was have a bigsby that can Scream upwards. I don't think I'ld change anything about it.

2 - P90 single coil pups, maple top, mahogony back and sides, semi hollobody, a thick block of some type of hardwood runs length wise inside the body, grover tuners, Bigsby Tremolo. Les Paul looking guitar but with the Bigsby and F holes, Sunburst top, mahogony back and sides. 1 Tone , 1 Volume for each PUP, 1 Master Volume, one selector switch as controls.

Awesome sound!! The P90's are music just strumming the guitar! Good range of tone though somewhat limited due to 1 Tone control, experimenting with the 2 PUP volume controls varies tone somewhat.

PUPS being single coil do hum somwhat, not as bad as my Fender but it is there. The PUPs are microphonic, you can hear picking and other articulation, great for blusey music though probably not to everyones taste. Great sustain!!! May not be good for heavy metal, which i like to play, but excellant for Blues, esp. Southern and Chicago style blues which i love to play :-))

Excellant fit and finish even though i somehow jabbed a screwdriver into the back of the body near the output jack trying to adjust the height leaving an impression of the driver's blade. :-(,,,,.

Fret buzz is another issue, as much as I tried get rid of it,,I can't. The strings are adjusted to a happy medium, strings are set a little higher than I like but the buzzing is diminished. My Fender and es335 knock off do not have the problem quite as bad as this guitar, too bad considering the sound of the guitar.

7 for the fret Buzz,, 10 for the finish

Very solid, somwhat heavy, I'm guessing it would hold up to live playing if the bigsby was not used

Been playing for a few years. This is really an excellant guitar, sans the fret buzz. I think the fret buzz may be just more apparant on this guitar because of the hollowbody design and the it is relativly loud unplugged. Almost as loud as an el cheapo, plywood acoustic I have!

BTW I consider any guitar off the rack as used since they are played by other people!!

An Epiphone Wildkat 2003 version. Real Bigsby Trem and Grover tuners. The guitar has an awsome light natural finish, a laminated top. 3 volume controls (one master volume at a very good place, 2 normal volumes), one tone control and a 3 way toggle switch. 2 great sounding p90 pickups. The body style is kinda 'Gretsch'.

It suits my music style very well. I play music from bands like; Stray Cats, Beatles, Elvis, Green Day and Oasis. This guitar can do almost any music style, really it can sound bright, warm, clean, distorted ect...

The action is great! no complains about that.
The guitar contains no flaws at all! This is amazing.

it's just great.

The guitar withstands all my live concerts and jamsessions, it never lets me down.
The hardware will probably last and the finish is good.
This is a guitar you can depend on and, yes you can use it without a backup, but it's always smart to have a backup.

Never dealt with the company.

I've been playing for about 12 years now.
I also own: Epiphone SG g400, Washburn D12, Aria Pro 2 TA 61, Essex Jazz bass, Richwood RE62 strat.
If it were stolen I defenitly buy the same kind of axe, maybe a Gretsch, A Ibanez Artcore or A Epiphone wildkat,flamekat or alleycat.

It's a good guitar for a fair price, try one, but try the new types with the real bigsby and grover tuners.

Hollow body thin line.One master volume,one volume for each pick up,one master tone.Turquose(color),two p-90's,with crome covers.Single cut away.with Bigsby tremlo.Tuners seem pretty good.I've only had the guitar a week.Paid $610 with case from Musician's Friend.Paint and finish look real good.Neck was straight with enough adjustment in truss rod to handle the heavier strings i'm going to put on.10-52.(P.S.)This guitar is just like my Gretsch 6120 JR,except for the P-90's.

I play blues,swing,rock,and rockabilliy.I've been playing for 39 years and i know my stuff.I'm a tube amp user only.The only problem i have is the pick ups is There microphonic,which is what i expected.I already have a set of Lindy Fralin pick ups being built.

Acition was l little low for me,but i'm having the whole guitar set from top to bottom.

I'm sure the guitar will be able to handle a live gig,or else i wouldn't have bought it.

None

I've been playing 39 years.I own 15 other guitars.If it were stolen i would think about buying another.Don't like all the volume controls.I'm eliminating the two vol. and keeping the master vol.& tone.To many knobs for live gigs.I use Peavey Classic 50 watt amps which i think are under rated and sound great.$1500 for a 40 year old amp that you have to modify(Fender),and breaks down a lot,you're all nuts.The tone is in your fingers.

Two P-90 pickups on a thinline hollow body. Korean-made, I believe. 22 frets. Master volume control, two individual pickup volume controls, one tone control. Bigsby-style tremolo arm. Good quality tuners. Finish is a transparent black (which makes it a really attractive guitar to these eyes, and I'm not even a huge fan of the damn color). Gig bag was included with the purchase.

I've been playing guitar for over 10 years now, most of that time spent with a mexican-built Fender Telecaster and a rather poorly-constructed Epiphone SG copy. Coming from that background, the sonic abilities of this guitar are UNREAL. It's got just enough delicacy to handle some of the more enigmatic and quiet passages I play, but can absolutely screech when necessary.

Rhythm setting is like a punch in the gut, particularly through my Fender Deluxe. I tend to do most of my playing on either this setting or the middle setting, as the Treble-only setting seems slightly thin at times. It's not BAD, just not as good for my purposes as the other two.

For its price, this guitar really sounds more expensive. You can get some wonderful mock-harmonics in the middle of the fretboard, and the thing growls whenever you nail an open string while its cranked up.

Finally, the tone is very true, and can hold tremolo very well. The only real problem I've encountered is that the guitar doesn't always stand up to repeated bashing out of chords (which I tend to put it through on numerous occasionans) without falling somewhat out of tune, particularly on the high E string.

Guitar played very well off the rack, though I ended up having it re-set up by the place I purchased it (it was being shipped a pretty long distance). Haven't run into any problems in this area.

Strap buttons are solid, and the guitar seems like it would withstand the normal wear and tear. I've owned it for a year and it's gone through two moves and a couple of too-close encounters with a ceiling, but it's exhibited no problems.

Never had any problems, hence no need for support.

If it were stolen or lost, I would immediately undergo severe symptoms of depression. ABSOLUTELY I'd replace it, as quickly as possible.

I know there are better guitars on the market in terms of construction and sound, but for my purposes, with the type of music I like to play, I haven't really found anything that this guitar doesn't do or can't do well. The only issue I have with it is my concern over the knobs...as other reviewers have pointed out, they seem kinda cheap and rickety. But those can always be replaced, so it's not a big issue.

Let's put it this way...I had no intention whatsoever of buying a new electric guitar before I saw this one. I was on vacation, happened to wander into a music store and pick it up, and immediately was taken with it. Highly recommended.

2002 Model with Epiphone tremolo; 2 Gibson P-90's; Beautiful Flamed Maple (laminated) top.

This guitar is inspirational. My son picked it up at Sam Ash while I was looking at something else and it turned my head. I played it, and we bought it immediately. This is the first guitar I have ever (in 35 years of playing) bought off the in-store display. Most have been specially ordered or taken from the back room. Sound is fantastic. Have used it for recording; country/rock; and even slide guitar. It is nasty!!! There is nothing not to like about this guitar. The P-90 single coil pickups have a real bite.

The action was (and is) a bit high from the factory. It seems to have 11 guage - and I intended to change them to 10's - BUT - I have gotten used to the feel and action. Neck is very fast and frets are well set and even. There are absolutely NO FLAWS on this guitar. I bought a Gibson ES-175 recently and there was a finish crack; splinters in the "F" holes; a rattle in the bridge... THIS EPIPHONE lists at 1/5th of the price of the Gibson and is PERFECT! Not a mark, flaw ...

The tuners are Grovers (great); Hardware is first class; Finish is an eye-catching antique yellow.

I have had none of the switch/jack/control flaws others have mentioned elsewhere on this site. I would gig with it without hesitation. I do always have other guitars with me, so if there was ever a problem, I could switch. I have always done that in live situations. Guitars were meant to be trees! Deal with it!

Haven't had to deal with Epiphone. Limited Lifetime Warranty (on a $400 instrument??!!! - FENDER IS ONLY ONE YEAR!)

I've been playing for over 35 years. Lots of guitars, amps, etc. If this guitar was stolen I would hunt the thief down like a dog. It would definitely be immediately replaced. Originally I got the guitar for my son and me to share - but he later wanted a "real" Gibson, so I got to keep the Wildkat!! Actually, I was very protective of it when he took it to school, etc. It is really a one of a kind instrument!

The sound of this guitar is unique. It should just be one more guitar in a player's arsenal. It isn't good for everything - but neither is a Strat! I've used both Solid State and Tube amps with the Wildkat. Pick your poison.

I do wish that the instrument came with a case. The hardshell case which fits this model had to be ordered from Musician's Friend (approx. $60). It is very nice. All the stores I went to acted like I was asking for something so unusual when I tried to purchase a case as Sam Ash didn't stock them in their store. Advise - If ordering or purchasing - Buy the case at the same time. This guitar should be protected and finding a case in the future for this unique size instrument with tremolo could be difficult. Epiphone makes a case that fits the WildKat/FlameKat. Get it.

2003, Korean made, 22 fret, plywood top w/ flame maple veneer, volume for each pickup, master tone and master volume, two single coils (Epiphone Alnico 5 P-90s), passive, low grade mahogany body with ribbon mahogany veneer on the back, maple neck, clear gloss polyurethane finish, thinline body style, tune-o-matic w/ Epiphone Bigsby, Grover tuners, 24 3/4" scale, jumbo frets, ebonized rosewood fingerboard, thin, fast neck, comes with short junky cable, case is $70.

This is Epiphone?s version of a Thinline style guitar. It is not a true semi-acoustic with bent sides: It?s a solid body that has been routed out about ?? from the edges except for a solid area from under the bridge rearward and the areas under the master volume and pickup switch. Both pickups are floating over air, though, not set into solid wood.

No case (like all Epiphones except the Elitists and John Lennon/John Lee Hooker models), no pickguard, and master tone control instead of one for each pickup, so it gets a 7, which is still good. But it does come with Grover tuners and a very useful and uncommon master volume control (some old Gretsches had it), so that brings the score up two notches...pretty danged good for a Samick-built guitar.

Great tone for an Epiphone! Very versatile. A cross between an SG Junior and an ES-330 or Casino. Epiphone P-90s are definitely better than Epiphone humbuckers. The master volume is very useful; All the way up and you get a mild overdrive, or you can turn it down and get a very clean and jazzy tone. 7 or 8 is the sweet spot ? You get a blues tone that slightly breaks up when you really nail the strings. You can back off each pickup?s volume to get a little more brightness, or put them all the way up to darken the tone. The tone knob doesn?t do a whole lot?I would change the tone capacitor or completely replace the pot.

This guitar has a great neck that is good for bending and left hand vibrato (a la Mr. Soul by the Buffalo Springfield), and is a natural when it comes to chunky rhythm. The fretboard is ebonized rosewood. I would prefer the frets to be lower and more flat, but hey, that?s just my preference. The neck shape and fret width used by Epiphone is much more to my liking than the new Gibsons, however. It comes with 9s, like 99% of new guitars, but I think it would play even better with anything up to 13s. I have a custom set of .011" to .054" Gibson strings on mine, although all my other guitars have Ernie Ball skinny top/heavy bottom except my Strat, which has .015" to .062". I think I like the Gibson strings better, actually, so I might start using them on my other guitars as well. It is still great for lead, even with these relatively heavy strings. Switching to heavier strings really brings out a much better tone from the woods and pickups, and makes the guitar noticably louder and more stable as far as tuning goes.

Epiphone?s quality control is inconsistent. With Epiphone, one guitar can be a hot rod off the line with no visual defects, and the next will be unplayable with messed up binding or finish imperfections. They are not usually horrible, however. I got a great one with only one slight flaw: A little bit of the mahogany stain bled onto the maple top by the neck joint. It took me a day of ownership to even notice it. It was also set up just fine in stock form. I was able to lower the action a lot thanks to the heavier strings. It's still an Epiphone, but it's a killer Epiphone the way I have it set up right now.

The vibrato arm looks really cool, but isn?t extremely useful for the stuff I play. Unfortunately the only way you can get this body style with P-90s is with a vibrato arm. One thing I?m upset about is that the picture on Music 123's website, and on the Epiphone website shows ?Bigsby? on the vibrato, but the vibrato on the actual guitar says ?Epiphone.? I don?t know if it?s specially made by Bigsby for Epiphone, or if it?s an Epiphone copy of a Bigsby. Whatever it is, they should sell exactly what the picture shows.

The finish is very nice for an Epiphone. The ribbon mahogany veneer on the back is a little cheesy because it doesn't match the sides and is very obvious, but you?re the only person who sees the back. Also I could do without the yellow tinted polyurethane on the natural finish model. I prefer a pure clear finish on a natural finish guitar. I?m splitting hairs here?this guitar looks AMAZING! It gets tons of compliments and lots of looks.

I would not gig with a Korean Epiphone without a backup unless I had replaced every single electronic component, except maybe the pickups, but especially the pickup selector switch.

The bridge and nut look really bad...I don't think they will be around in ten years of moderate use. Same for all Epiphones except the Elitists (of which I own 3). The tone knobs don't even look smooth.

This guitar is definitely cheap for a reason...but don't get me wrong: This is a very useful guitar, even to a professional. If you are debating this versus other Korean Epiphones, BUY THIS GUITAR. You can?t go wrong, especially for the price. It is the best of the new Korean Epiphones, along with the 335-style Dot. This is an amazing value! (Additionally, I got mine without the factory seal, so it was an even better value!) Wow! Great, great, great guitar! It?s not a Gibson, but you definitely get at least twice what you pay for, and get a faster neck and better frets than a new Gibson.

No experience with them. 1 year warranty on defective materials, void if modified in any way.

Have been playing guitar about two years, bass for ten years. I own too many instruments...and am too lazy to list them all right now. See my review on my Epiphone Elitist '61 SG if you really want to know.

The final words: Quality is very good. Very impressive for a brand which I long regarded as junk. Incredible bang for the buck. EXTREMELY versatile as far as tone and style. The only guitar that I would need in addition to this on a gig (to fill in a gap that the Wildkat cannot cover) would be a humbucker equipped Les Paul. I wish they made the Wildkat guitar as part of the Elitist line! Drool, drool?.

2002 from Korea with the Antique Natural finish.
Mahogany body with a real nice flame maple top. One tone, two volune and one master volume. P90s and a Bigsby type (same thing but with an "E" on it) tremelo.

I play classic rock & roll and a little rockabilly. I use Tube amps the guitar does not have any noise. P90 sound going on but they screeeech if to close to the amp. I cant get real good feedback from these pups. Good rock tone...I would not recommend this for metal.

Set up "OK" came with 11s I think. I put 10s on it and adjusted the neck and did a light fret job on it. Has lower action now, easier to do bends and plays great. I will say this a few times: This was put together very well! Just replace the pickup switch and jack with a quality one. Thats why I gave a 9.

Have played a number of gigs with it. Right off the bat the pickup switch went. Replaced with a Switchcraft and did the input jack as well. Hardware has no problems and the finish is amazingly nice. No space between bindings in the F-holes or anything and the flame on the top is real nice. Put together very well. Without a backup? Well I only use it for tunes it fits best.

Never had to deal with this

Been playing forever and have Les Pauls, SG & a Strat.
Good bang for the buck. Replace the pickup switch!
It is really fun to play and you will get a traditional sound out of it. Its a looker too! It aint a Gretsch but has that taste to it.

New 2003, Antique Natural finish
Mahogany body and head stock, maple neck, and laminated flame maple top. One tone, two volune and one master volume. Cream color laminated body and neck.
Gibson designed p90's with alnico V
construction is great, action is fast no buzzing. Bigsby is real not the Epiphone branded one, tuners are grover another surpise.

I have tried this guitar with many amps already. Works well with both Tube and solid state amps. Stays in tune. Sound is classic p90. No need to buy other pick ups. Good for blues, hard rock, 50's and 60's rock and country, can even play Jazz really well. Most versatile guitar I have ever had.

It was set up very fast and low with 11 size strings. no buzzing and great action. The workmanship is great. The woods used are of lesser quality, but what do you want for 600 dollars. The finish is less then perfect but acceptable and good. I changed the bridge with Graftech string savers, and also a graftech nut. Need to if you want to use the bigsby for expression. Also changed the pots and switch to gibson parts. The tuners are really good Grover parts. And applied lemon oil on rosewood fret board. This guitar is really nice now, and is great feeling not too big like a jazz box, and just a little bigger then a Les Paul.

It's built solid, once you change pots and switch it's as good as a gibson. It's not light about same weight as gibson les paul smart wood.

Never had to deal with them.

I have been playing for many years. I have a strat, a couple of les pauls one from Gibson and one epi 50th anniversay custom. I also have a few Yamaha classical guitars and a jumbo steel string martin. I play everything from Flamenco to hard rock and love the blues. The wildcat is just a great guitar to play. Great action, great sound, and nice looks. I played it for 5 hours straight after picking it up. DO a few upgrades and its nice to play. It's a good deal.

Pretty much the same model everyone else has, mine is the gorgeous antique natural finish. My bio teacher (who is also a blues superstar) called it "a sweet ride" when i brought it to school. P-90s, 3 volume/1 tone, imitation Bigsby, set neck, etc etc.

I play it through a Fender Ultimate Stereo Chorus, although I tried it with the 15-watt Fender Frontman I use at school and it held its own against my friend's Marshall combo. I mostly use the neck pickup with the tone rolled down to about 7, it's got a nice smokey bluesy sound clean. The treble pickup sounds ok but since the neck pickup sounds so great I hardly ever use it.
I use a Big Muff Pi for distortion (3 bucks at a yard sale, it's very old-school) and although the pedal has a fairly rich tone with other guitars, it really shines on this one. The only problem is that it feeds back ridiculously. I have to turn down low to prevent this. The master volume makes this easier but it really does affect the sound negatively. As much as I love the sound, I have to give it an 8 because not being able to turn up can be a big hinderance.

It came with really heavy strings (11s i think), and I replaced them with acoustic strings (a weird quirk of mine, but it gives me a unique sound). But even with the electric strings, there was some bad buzzing. The G string rattles all over, and the D and B strings buzz at the 7th fret, so playing a barred D chord is harsh. It's not audible if you're just listening to the amp or a recording, but it bugs me a lot. However, it's such a great guitar I can't bear to part with it while I get it fixed.
I see the same problems with the messed-up f-holes, but the pickup selector and frets and all the other aforementioned things were fine. I don't use the Bigsby for more than a little bit of wobbliness but on the few occasions when I've dive-bombed chords down a whole step it sprung right back in tune.

I haven't brought it to a gig yet (but I have a few booked in the upcoming month) and I trust it. I'm doing these gigs sans backup, but they're with friends' bands and I could always borrow one of their guitar if I have a problem (which I've done before for basses).
The only problem I've had is with the strap. I'm not sure if it's the strap or the buttons, because it's the same strap I used on my SG and it kept slipping off on that too. I'm probably going to upgrade the buttons because I don't want to take any risks with this guitar.
Everything else seems pretty durable, although after reading some of these reviews I'm considering upgrading some of the stuff as a precaution.

Haven't had to deal with Epiphone after 2 years of ownership (first an SG and now the Wildkat). I got the SG from Daddy's Junky Music and they fixed a few problems with my SG for free because their warranty covered it.

I've been playing for 3 years (I'm 16 now). I started out on a second-hand Washburn, upgraded to a $250 Epiphone SG, and just got the Wildkat about a month ago. I've gone from an hour a day to 2-3, because it's so great to play. I've also expanded to playing more blues and slide since getting it (it's just such a perfect guitar for it).
When I didn't have enough money for either, I was debating between a Casino and this guitar. However, after getting a job and saving up 600 bucks, I went back to Guitar Center only to find that the Casino had been bought. I don't regret getting this one instead, although I'll always wonder what would've been (I went back there after the purchase to get some cables and saw another Casino, dammit). Advantages over the Casino: cheaper, nicer finish, and a (fake) Bigsby.
If it was stolen, I'd be very sad, and then I'd have to do the whole Wildkat/Casino debate all over again. Not sure which one I'd pick this time, but I'll knock on wood that I don't have to decide again.
I wish it had come set up better but otherwise, for the price, what a value. Great sound, and great-looking too. My other guitarist is now looking into getting a Les Paul so that my Wildkat doesn't outshine his DeArmond SG onstage. It's a great second or third guitar, and it should last me for a very long time.

Standard Wild Kat probably a 2000 made in Korea. Bigsby removed before I bought it. If it hadn't been, I would have removed it myself.

Semi-hollow, 2 P-90's and sounds exactly like it should. That great in-between humbucker and single coil sound.

Here's where we seperate the old from the new. They did an awful job of fretting this instrument. What makes it worse, is that they knew it and shipped it anyway. You can see the glue dollops on the sides of the fingerboard by the binding where they probably tried to hammer down the mislayed frets. I took it to have the edges taken down but even so, I still get the high E string caught under the edge of the 3, 4, and 5 fret. If this were a bolt on I'd get a new neck. The knobs were cheap and I've replaced them.

It should outlast my left hand which is being torn to shreds by the uplifted fret edges.

Don't know them

I've been playing pro or semi-pro for 38 years and have all the stuff that goes with that. If the seller had informed me about the bad fret job on this guitar I would not have purchased it. Financially I would have been better off going to the guitar center and paying full price for one that was made properly. If this thing didn't sound so damn good I'd toss it in the trash.

I purchased it in early 2002, sor it may well have been made in 2001.
22 frets, lamminated maple top with nice figuring and yellow staining.
Master Vol., master tone, separate vol. for each pickup, very useful, when you have found a sweet mix and just want it louder or lower.
2 P90s with Alnico V magnets. Body is three pieces of mahogany, hollowed out with a laminated maple top. Neck is despite of company specifications mahogany, too with what looks like an ebony fretboard.
Gotoh tuners work well, bridge tune-o-matic style with BIG posts, Bisgsby style vibrato tailpiece, works well if you don't do any dive-bombing. Finish and evrything else very good in this pricerange.

I'm playing Blues and I bought this as a slide guitar and it turned out much better than I expected: very very good sustaining qualities, vintage sound, P 90s are my favourite pickups for slide anyway.
One problem: pickups sqeal at medium to higher volumes, will have to have them repotted.Other than that they are very quiet.Can go from a dark, jazzy sound to a fat bite without being harsh or piercing your ears. I play it through a Fender custom vibrolux reverb live and in the studio and also through a Fender Pro Junior for recording. Sometimes use a Klon Centaur Overdrive in low volume situations to get a little more distortion.

I was pretty amazed to find the guitar factory set up with big strings (.012 - .054, I guess), which was excellent for me, because I just had to retune to open D and could go sliding. Pickups can't be adjusted, so you will have to make up with the polepiece srews.
Pickup selector seems to pass out in the neck pickup position sometimes, but replacement will be a breeze. I can't say anything about action etc. because I use it for slide exclusively. No other flaws that I know of. ( No wobbly knobs on mine)

This seems to be one solid guitar, have been playing it live and in recording situations so far. strap buttons are very solid so I didn't substitute them for security locks. i don't use a backup on gigs.

Haven't dealt with the company

I have been playing for some 30 years now. I do have a lot of other guitars, electric and acoustic, mostly Gibsons and Fenders. I have been using Gibsons with P 90s for slide since the late 70s. This one compares favorably with the Gibsons (Les Paul Pro, 63 SG special and ES 135 with P90s). Comfortable size, sounds like a vintage guitar, very good sustaining qualities for slide-playing.
I would definitely try to get another one, if this would get away from me.

Regarding the review below from 10/01 from Andreas. I replaced the nut and string saddles with GraphTech ones (made from Teflon) and they have helped considerably. I also replaced the tuners with Sperzel locking tuners for further tuning stability and have seen an improvement as well. This is a great guitar that shouldn't disappointment once you've made some minor upgrades such as these.

Korean made w 2 p-90's 2 volume, 1 tone and a master volume control.
mahogany body with yellow-ish transparent top, bindings on neck, body and around f-holes.
epiphone's vibratrem.
came with non original case.

been playing for 16 years in most situations. live, studio, session, what have you but bought this one mainly for composing/recording.
didn't take long before i used it on every occasion cause YES it delivers!
p-90 pickups has got to be the best of both worlds, fat yet shimmering. sweet yet nasty etc etc.

i've got a sweet spot for brian setzer and living in sweden doesn't exactly make it cheap to get your hands on those gretsch hotrods, average price around $3000, so, fortunately i discovered this one.

factory 012 strings didn't make it easy on me when switching to 010. quite a bit of adjustment needed to get the guitar to carry chords all over the neck again.
the vibratrem produces a great smooth singing "trem" BUT maan it messes up the tune!
i have yet to find a solution to that.
anyone got any tips regarding keeping the vibratrem in tune please drop me a line!!

would use and have used it without backup many times live.
this thing is rock steady, i threw away the 3 way switch at once and put in a gibson one and have never had a single problem with it.

i use this guitar as my first. together with my peavey classic or 5150 II it rocks!

since i'm "allergic" to fenders and single coils in perticular the
p-90's are just perfect to get that crispy clean yet warm mellow
sound that you actually want to hear when playing w single coils.

also use a les paul and a 335, perfect for variation in the studio but when playing live i always end up using this solid wildkat

2002 Korean-made. Laminated, flamed maple top on semi-hollow mahogany body(single cutaway). 2 Alnico-V P90's with individual volume controls, master volume, master tone, and 3-way selector switch. 22 frets on a rosewood (ebony stained?) board. Epiphone Bigsby-style tailpiece. Gotoh tuners. Lots of chrome! Hardshell case was extra.

This guitar is quite well suited for much of the older (60's style) rock and roll, newer country, and rockabilly stuff I play. The P-90's are clean and relatively quiet for single coils, yet can be coaxed into overdrive without much trouble. The neck pickup is bright, but not harsh (not as twangy as my Tele); the neck pickup is pretty smooth and sweet sounding. I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe on the rare occasions that I play live dates, and use a Boss ME-30 for compression, delay, and occasional chorus. The only other toy in my setup is an Ernie Ball volume pedal. Another big factor in how this guitar sounds is the body. It's considerably more resonant than a solid body, but not as prone to feedback as some of the full-size hollow bodies I've played. It has a unique voice and it adds to the spectrum of tones I can achieve. So far, the only thing I don't like is the master tone, which when rolled off gets muddy with the neck pickup-not really a big concern for me, though. I mostly do recording with a Boss BR-8, and I had to tweak some COSM (amp modeling) settings especially for this guitar. The P-90's are hot and will overdrive the inputs. Same is true with the Line6 POD. Volume/drive settings which are clean with my Fenders and Rickenbacker are louder and a little distorted with the Wildkat.

I wasn't satisfied with the factory setup. The action was set too low and some fret buzz was obvious. The fifth fret on the high E string went "plink". Once I raised the action just enough to eliminate the buzz, and reset the intonation it was excellent. The neck shape and fretboard radius are very comfortable to me. I may change to a lighter set of strings. The pickups seem to be adjusted fine. I mainly use the Bigsby for the shimmering kind of effect you can get with it-don't do much dive-bombing and so far I haven't had any tuning problems to speak of. The knobs wobble a little, but that doesn't really bother me much, either, and the selector switch has also worked OK. The finish on this guitar (antique natural flame)is outstanding. The binding is flawless-no voids or rough spots. It's a real beauty. The natural mahogany body really compliments the rich amber-colored flamed maple top. Really, the finish is as good or better than many much more expensive guitars I've seen. Considering the price, I won't fault it much for the poor action out of the box. Most players probably tweak the setups to their personal tastes anyway.

Can't really say, since I don't play live much anymore, however it feels solid enough to hold up to regular gigs. The strap buttons are big and secure-feeling. Some reviewers have apparently had problems with the selector switch-I haven't yet. I always take more than one guitar to a gig, primarily for the different sounds. Since I'm just speculating reliability, I'll give it an 8.

Have only communicated with Epiphone via e-mail regarding availability ( I waited over six months for the antique natural finish from Musician's Friend). They always responded promptly with reasonble answers.

I've been playing for thirty-something years. Other guitars:Fender American Std. Strat, American Std. Tele, Rickenbacker 330/6, Danelectro U2 Baritone, Martin D-19, and an inexpensive nylon string acoustic-electric. The Wildkat overall is a well-made, beautifully finished, fun, good playing guitar that can cover a variety of styles well. I like the tones it produces-different from any of my other guitars. I missed out on the DeArmond T-400 ( I didn't know they were being discontinued),so I started looking at the Wildkat. I bought it based on good reviews, inexpensive price, and good looks. I'd want another if it were lost or stolen. The Wildkat is a great value, and if your style is anywhere in the realm of country, rockabilly, roots rock, even blues, I'd recommend it highly.

Made in Korea, 2001?, Antique Natural (VERY NICE),...
10 b/c it's got what it's suppose to have.

Deep, powerful sound. I like it for everything including high gain, classic rock tones, and low clean tones. It does them all very well, however, I have a Strat to cover what this one can't.
(Love the Angus Young SG sound I get out of it.)

I found the stock pups too undefined so I had custom ones made by SK Guitar Specialties and I don't think I'll ever take them out. Very high, clean output which allows me to use the guitar for the high gain stuff. But on the neck pup this thing could still pass for a bass.

8 b/c I didn't like the stock pups too much.

Amazing craftsmanship for any guitar manufacturer; kudos Epiphone. The wood quality is tops. Like someone mentioned, the rosewood looks like ebony. Everything fits perfectly, except the vol./tone knobs are cheap and wobbly. Not that they're gonna fall off , they just wobble when you turn them. Also, the p/u selector was noisy. More on that below.
Oh, and the nut is plastic; should be replaced with bone or brass or something.

The worst thing about Epiphone is that they can put together such a beautiful, classy guitar and the electronics are crap. Cheap wires, cheap parts. As I've mentioned, I replaced the pups which allowed me to rewire/resolder some parts voluntarily. The toggle switch needed to be replaced after a few hours of playing.
Now that I've been through the guts myself I'm confident in using it anytime , anywhere but if you're not comfortable doing this kind of work then make sure you have access to the dealer you buy it from.
I should mention that I never use the trem bar; throws it right out of tune so I just point it downwards and keep my hands off! It looks cool though.
Great big strap buttons is a plus.
I would NEVER gig without a backup.

6 for the unreliable, crappy electronics (although it is inexpensive fix).

Don't know.

personal info.- I'm 26, have 3 other guitars, two amps, and have played for ~10 years.
I have had a love/hate relationship with this guitar, i.e., the craftsmanship is awesome and crap at the same time. However, for the time and money it took to "upgrade" I still feel like I got a deal. This guitar is a "looker" that had to be made into a "player". Like everything else I own, I would not necessarily buy this again. I would just enjoy looking.
Two BIG pluses: this is a unique sounding and unique (beautiful!) looking guitar.
8 out of the box but with a few hours of work and less than a couple hundred bucks it's a big TEN.

Mfg April 2000, in Korea,bought new a few mnths ago, 3/4 size Archtop, single cutaway,turquois finish,maple top, mahogony sides and back, set neck, with a soild center block, (like an ES-335), 22 frets ,rosewood board,two P-90 single coil pickups,a volume for each pkup, plus one tone, and a master volume,and a 3 way pkup selector. tune-o-matic bridge, Gotoh tuners, imitation Bigsby vibrato by Epiphone,neck/ scale is typical Gibson. Hard case is additional.

I play oldies rock and newer country,this guitar suits my style(but not quite as twangy as a strat),I use a Fender Vibrolux Reverb reissue amp w/ the treble on 8,thru a delay,chorus,and tube screamer(when you want distortion), the P-90's sound great,not noisy, and distort easily,it has a full sound,on the board pkup,and medium bright but not super bright on the bridge pkup,I like the master volume ,w/ separate pkup volumes , for a variety of different sounds.

The factory set up was ok, but it came w/ very heavy strings,I put on 9/42 Elixar strings, adjusted the neck relief,(due to changing to a lighter gauge strings), set the intonation, raised the bridge slightly,adjusted the pkup screws to 3/64 height, plays great w/ this setup,the Epi vibrato is ok, but does go slightly out of tune, the fit and finish are outstanding, and the action is very fast, a few chrome flaws,and the pkup selector makes noise sometimes.

The finish is very good and shiny,the paint seems thick, a few minor flaws,nice binding,construction seems good for a set neck instrument,heavy strap buttons,I'd say the guitar will withstand live playing,it seems dependable, and I'd gig without a backup. I've been using for several mnths now, and no problems.

I called Gibson/Epiphone 2 times since I purchased the guitar. First time to confirm that the salesperson mailed the wrong case, and the second time to find out the recommended height between the pkup polepieces and the string.( I'm pretty particular about having everything set up properly).Both times the tech on the phone was very helpful, with an immediate answer.Warranty is one year.

I've playing guitar for 35 years,I own 15 other guitars, Fenders,Ricks,Gretsch,Gibson,etc(vintage 1968 to present),2 fender and 2 vox amps,I would buy another Wildkat if mine were lost or stolen,I like this guitar's size,and fast neck,no hates, I compared this to a used Howard Roberts Fusion, I liked this guitar more,a little more twang and less jazz sound, I may change the Epi vibrato to a Bigsby Unit. Great value for the money.

As basic as it gets... Volume, tone and a three way toggle switch. Comes stock with an Epiphone Bigsby knockoff, however, mine is a stamped "2nd" and it's been replaced with a trapezoid non-trem tailpiece. I also replaced the tuners with sperzels (whether they neede to be or not). No frills... but who needs 'em?

I play power pop, rock, and alt roots rock, and the Wildkat has a real fat full sound. No reason to replace these pickups at all. I'm using it through a '71 Ampeg VT40, with various effects and it sings! Smooth sounding leads and lots of sustain (although I'm not sure if having the stock bridge would affect that).

Was set up well by the store I purchased it from. Finish looks real good (aside from a few markings where the fake Bigsby used to be, but only noticable close up). Pickup selector is iffy and needs to be replaced or resoldered, but no big deal.

This guitar is a workhorse! I'd feel safe using it without a backup, though I always have others laying around. Solid...

Not sure. I emailed them to ask why the Bigsby type tailpiece was replaced with the trapezoid piece (like so many other "2nd" stamped Wildkats that were popping up on eBay at the time) , and I was told that they had no knowledge of that. I just think they didn't want to deal with the "2nd's" crowd. They did respond pretty quick though, so that must count for something...

I've been playing for 15 years and have owned, and still own a lot of great guitars. This is my favorite. It's simple and dependable (aside from the lousy pickup selector). If it were lost or stolen, I'd replace it with another Wildkat right away. I got this one cheap, but for the going rate of $450-500, it's worth it.

2001 Korean made. Alnico V p-90 chrome pickups. 22 fret rosewood fingerboard. mahogany small semi hollow body. Translucent Black finish is immaculate. There are some chrome palting flaws on one pickup, but for the price i paid, i can live with it. Solid maple top, 3 way pu switch. Gotoh tuners, Bigsby style tremolo. Very smooth neck finish and good low action.

This is the guitar i have always wanted. I only played acustic guitars for my own enjoyment and i have 20 years experience. The Wildkat has a deep clear sound perfect for the blues ans jazz i enjoy playing. I am using a vintage Ampeg tube filled amp of unknown wattage. The sound has a very dynamic range and good sustain. Awesome sound!

The set up was ok, nothing great, there was a problem with the 3 through 5th frets where they were not bound properly and the 1st string would actually get stuck underneath the fret during a few heavy bends. I fixed it myself rather than part with it while i got a replacement. I fixed it in a few minutes. The chrome plating was not perfect on one pickup. There were several sharp edges along the f holes that i filed away easily.

This is a very solid guitar. I see no reason to worry about the durability of this heavy duty guitar. I would definatly repace this guitar if it was lost or stolen. And i would get the black again.

i have no experience so far with the factory.

I have been playing on and off for over 20 years and have a 1978 Yamaha acustic. I love the playability of the Wildkat and the excellent tone. It plays easily and effortlessly (compared to my Yami anyway.) I always wanted a semi hollow body in the Gretch design but with a family i found the Epiphone fit my wants as a musician and my need to budget my money perfectly. I highly recommend anyone this fine instrument. Maybe someday i will get my Gretsch but i hardly think so, i am THAT happy with my Kat!

2001 semi hollow with maple top and mahogany sides back and neck. Mine is turquoise has p-90's and a bigsby copy trem. All hardware is chrome tuners are gotoh. Korean made and as described in greater detail in previous posts.

Sounds great for the blues that I play. Can be warm without any harshness or fat. No noise from the pick-ups or swith or pots. Very versatile. I do not play any high gain, but would imagine the semi-hollow construction would be unsuitable for this. Cannot match an old gretsch or gibson, but definately sounds better than comparably priced D'Armonds.

The guitar set up definately needs some fine tuning. Intonation and action were a little out of wack, and as everyone else has mentioned the strings are unneccessarily heavy. The construction quality is very good. Paint is as good as it will be on any guitar in this price range. Mine has a hairline flaw where the neck/fingerboard sit into the body. The binding gives it a more upscale look, but is very inconsistant around the f-holes. Inside of f-holes are a little rough, though this is only noticable up close. The fret seatings are also inconsistant. Some are not completely set in leaving a small gap between the fretwire and the board. This makes for some buzz occaissionally, but is fairly easy to live with (not to mention the expense of having the frets redone).

As I previously mentioned the construction of this guitar is very good. I think this guitar would with stand all but the harshest treatment. The paint is laid on thick and smooth, and after almost a year and no pick-guard does not show any pick scratches. I would never use anything with out a "plan b" but I doubt that this guitar would require a back-up except for untimely string changes.

I called with a few questions and the responses were always useful and direct. Same goes for e-mail with them.

I have been playing for a year and have a strat that was built specifically for me. If stolen or lost I am not sure I would replace this immediately, but I certainly enjoy owning and playing this one. I get many compliments on this guitars appearance, it is very unique. I wish I had played more guitars before buying this one, I would especially like to compare it to the Gibson blueshawk. I like the gibson necks and this one has the same feel. I wish they had used the real bigsby instead on the copy. the steal on the real ones is much higher quality and mine does have a rough spot on one edge. This is the guitar I learned on, and it has been unbeatable for that. However as I am sure you are aware, once you can play a few notes, one guitar will never satisfy all your needs. Definatey worth the money spent.

Epiphone Wildkat made in Korea probably 2000. 22 frets. Mahogany body (semi-acoustic LP-like)with laminated maple top and mapel neck with rosewood. 3-way selector, master and two volyme, one tone control. Two microphones p-90 S/H. Translucent black (tiger maple underneath).
Tune-O-Matic as well as Bigsby. Locking tuners Gotoh. Thin neck. Gig bag and strap included.

The Wildkat is A GUITAR. Even though I play blues and jazz as well as Rolling Stones and CCR etc it will play anything. I use an original Fender Twin mid-70 and an Earth Revival top with Celestions, and most important home made guitar cables that does not look in anything. No extra gear. The Wildkat can be just a Wildkat and you must be able to tame it. Just as it is noisy, just as a raw diamond you have to cut it right, but it will be quit in another setting. It produces a complete sound register and the varitions have no limit. You may have as much feedback as you want, but you must handle the guitar if you won't. It's a killer!

The guitar was set up with e11-strings. Action the way I want it; good tone no disturbing string sounds. Balanced sound and no pickup adjustment neccessary. The flaws to recognize are two; adjustment of the tuners and probably the lower end selector has to be changed. I must have had luck or..?? 1977 I bought a new Fender Telecaster and I had to have the frets thorougly adjusted, as well as the bridge and .....

I will depend on it on any gig as stand alone guitar. The strap buttons, hardware, and tuning are durable, I've experienced. In the long run I expect it to last as any other well crafted guitar.

No experince, although one year garantee from shop (Swedish legal system) as well as warranty from Epiphone hopefully will prove to be enough. By the way, I feel safe beeing inte legal profession.

I am in the late 40es, and have been playing for more than 30 years, but never as a professional. I have an incredible Gibson Les Paul Custom (sadly and safely looked in), a wonderful 64 Fender Stratocaster (sadly and safely looked in), a Korean GTX (Strata-copy) with true 1957 sound (it is rough) and an acoustic 1979 Takamine f-360 S. The Wildkat represents a type of guitar I've been wanting since late 1960. Also, not to forget, it represents memories of two friends 30 years ago, one same age that was a genius in music, one that did go other ways in life. A guitar is always something more than an instrument, you know. Beeing just a guitar it must however be able to produce guitar sounds, not be "electrical". The Wildkat gives you more than you ever will be able to handle, just with an amplifier, without any equipment, whatsover.

Made in 2000 in Korea, semi-hollow with p-90s, with a bigsby style tremola, tuners are gotoh.

I love the blues with a hint of jazz. This guitar is perfect for lay back delta style without too much drive. I use a Hot Rod Deluxe with it without any overdrive as I like the natural breakup on the clean channel. The sound is fat and thick which is exactly what I was looking for. Not the best for pig sqeals, more BB sounding. I like the middle middle position most of the time. The farther up the neck I go, I find I like the neck pickup more.

Setup was ok but there was some fret buzz I had to remedy. I had to replace the pickup selector. I choose a Gibson three way. I'm planning on swapping out the pickups for some Gibson P-90's, no real good reason for this except that I'm a fuss pot about tone. And if I can possibly make this axe sound better, even fractionally so, I'm going for it. The finish was as good as any of the upper brands. The woods are solid, but lower end. This does not bother me though, I'm mean its a $500 guitar and worth every penny but I'm not going to run with a false fantasy that its as good as a Gibson. My friend just bought a Gibson LP classic. The quality of wood and craftsmanship is awesome, but he paid 2200 for it and I'm happy for him.

With the gibson selector switch, I feel confident with it for gigs. the hardware is equal to most middle of the road stuff. The finish I have to say is nice - turqoise my favorite color and nice buff job too. Strap buttons are nice and beefy. Wouldn't gig without a backup even if I had a PRS. What if some drunk buzzard vomits on your pickups and shorts them out?

Never had to deal with them for a problem. They'll bullshit with you for a while though.

I've been playing for 28 years - too long to sound as crappy as I do, but its my right to keep sounding like shit. If lost or stolen, I would get the same thing. I love the tone and looks for a Korean made guitar. I also own a Tacoma DR12, and a Carin Bolt (nice axe) A few things I'd like to say about Gibson/Epiphone. I realize that most players realize that Gibson engineer's Epiphone and owns it. Somehow though, a few uninformed souls are saying "Epiphones are better than Gibsons for the money and have equal quality control" Common folks, wake up! Gibson was good enough to have some cool budget guitars made for us not so rich folks. We don't have to slam well crafted high quality instruments to appreciate the good playings ones we end up with. As far as good playing instruments go. Most brands now days are built pretty well because of computer controls. So just buy what you like and play it.

Semi-hollow body, single cutaway 6-string. Probably manufacturered in 2000, bought in 2001. Korean made guitar with some First World features and workmanship. Binding on body and around f holes. It has a laminated flame maple top, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard. 24 frets, set neck. Master volume, master tone, independent volume (2) and two Alnico VP-90 PUs. Three position "Treble/Rhythm" switch for playing bridge, neck, or both PUs. Chrome sealed Gotoh tuners. Usually comes with a Bigsby tremolo with the Epiphone "E" on it. Mine was adapted at the factory with a trapeze floating bridge instead of the bigsby. (Some guitars had faulty bigsbys, so factory replaced them with the floating bridge). Fine with me since I got it for a song as a "used" guitar on the internet. I don't do Blitzkrieg divebombing or a lot of surf music anyway. Wildkats come in three finishes, Antique natural (mine) which has a nice maple yellow top, translucent black (can see flame maple grain), and a painted turquoise finish (no grain seen). Many good features on a reasonably priced guitar.

I've only used it with my 50 watt practice amp at home and through the 16 channel board at my church (Bose speakers). Sounds very good with the usual effects; chorus, reverb, distortions, played through a BOSS effects pedal. It is not good for high gain use. The VP-90 PUs are quiet in all 3 switch positions. The guitar is not a screamer although it will hold it's own for any rock lead. If you play Hendrix, you probably play a Strat anyway. Best for jazz, blues, rockabilly, ska, and anywhere that you'd consider a more expensive semi-hollow. Nice, fat sound.

The guitar was set-up well with middle-low action. The 09 strings that came with it are a little to "slinky" for me so I may move up a step (I'm primarily an acoustic player). The finish and bright chrome hardware are impressive-one fellow guitarist called it "sexy". He's getting the translucent black Wildkat after seeming mine. The cream colored binding on the body and f holes give the guitar a finished look found in guitars costing much more. Noticed a small discoloration in the binding in one of the f holes (very small), and the two tone knobs were slightly off center (a little "wobble"). All in all, a fine looking and nicely built guitar.

I've had the guitar for two weeks so we'll see how it holds up. But the guitar feels substantial. The tuners are solid as are the PUs. It is not a lightweight guitar-there is real wood in there! This is NOT a Hollywood breakaway guitar used in cowboy fight scenes. The strap buttons are large and beefy. Too early to tell, but I will be depending on it since its my only electric.

Don't know. Haven't had to deal with Epiphone about anything.

I've been acoustic guitar for 25 years. I have a Takamine bought in 1976. If it were lost or stolen, I'd try to replace it, but I don't think I'd get a better deal than the one I got. Suggested retail is $800 on the Wildkat so I doubt I could get it for close to the same priceI bought it for. It is a beautiful looking guitar with a full, fat semi-hollow sound. It even sounds good unplugged although it doesn't put out the volume the largerhollow bodies. Hard to beat the quality for the price.

Small, semi-hollow, "original design" Limited edition, 6 string electric. Korean made. 24 frets.Mahogony body, laminated maple top, master volume, independent volume (2), master tone, two chrome alnico p-90's, turquoise finish, tune-o-matic bridge, epiphone labelled bigsby, gotoh tuners.

This is a great axe for everything excepy "high-gain" situations. Anyonr who has ever used p-90's knows they can be unforgiving in a high gain situation. Otherwise this guitar will do it all! I have played it through a Peavey Trans-tube, Laney LC-50 all tube, and a Yamaha DG-100 solid state amd with exemplary results. Pick-ups are suprisingly quiet; silent when in middle position. I also use a Tech-21 Comp-Tortion pedal and a VooDoo Labs Analog Chorus pedal. This guitar is extremely fat! P-90's :) nuff-said. Imaculate. It does take some knob work to keep the semi-hollow under control.....but well worth the effort.

Out of the box the guitar arrived with towing-cables for strings! Most likely 11-52. Changed immediately to 09-46. Action was a bit high but nothing that could not be easily rectified. Pickups are surface mounted, but do have adjustable pole pieces which is a wonder. The finish is mirror-like and immaculate. None better. The attention to detail is unmatched in this guitar. I can remember when the Korean made guitars were shit; but another look, especiallly at Epiphone, and one would be hard pressed to find a better quality instrument on the market under 500.00. It simply cannot be done. The binding on body and neck is absolutely flawless. The Turquoise finish is brilliant! Perhaps this can all be attributed to the computers now used in most of the Korean factories. The tolerances set by the manufacturers are microscopic in every detail. F-holes are also bound and again....flawless!

I was astonished at the weight of this guitar. Very heavy, rock solid. I originally thought that I would have to be very gentle with a semi-hollow guitar...not so! I would not hesitate for a minute to smack the hell out of a stage-charging groupie with this axe. All chrome hardware. Enormouse strap pins. I would gig without a back-up, no second thoughts at all.

Have telephoned the comapny several times to ask advice and thay have always been very courteous and quite helpful each time.

I have been playing over 20 years. I also own a G & L ASAT CLASSIC, RICKENBACKER 650-D. If this guiatr were stolen I would be very distraught and immediately seek to own another. Epiphone continues to astonish me. All I can say to anyone who has not investigated Epiphone Guitars, just go to a local dealer and have a look. I guarantee that you will be stunned. No doubt. These guitars are the highest quality, best priced axes going right now. Sure, we'd all love to lay down 3000.00 for a new Gibson; but if you are like me; on a budget, fat chance. Check out the Epi's man!